Beyond the Adventure
by DoomGuyBFG
Summary: Crono is a 17-year-old boy from Goldenrod City. He lives alone with his mother and longs to escape the noise of city life to travel the world. One day, a strange Pokémon falls into his lap and his life is changed forever.
1. Chapter 1: New Beginnings

The morning sun beams warmly against my face as I gaze out at the ocean's horizon. The Whirl Islands are barely visible from the Goldenrod City's pier, shrouded in haze off in the distance. I have always found the view to be serene, and frequently come out here early in the morning, before the newly built Global Trade Terminal opens. The bustling noise of people mulling about never appealed to me and I feel this new building will only ruin the tranquility of the pier. I longed to escape the big city and head out on my own. I was offered a Pokémon by Professor Oak when I was twelve years old to challenge the Pokémon League. Unfortunately, ever since my father died, my mother has been struggling to find her own job, so she needs me here to help make ends meet. I denied the offer, explaining why, but Professor Oak insisted I take one anyway. I chose a Cyndaquil, but it has not seen much battle. I challenged Whitney once, but Cyndaquil and the HootHoot I had caught earlier got destroyed. Now we keep them simply as pets in the house. I currently work at the department store, helping the Machoke down there move boxes and unload trucks. It is rough work and does not pay much, but it is something.

I close my eyes against the sun's rays when I am suddenly knocked over something hard from behind. I look up and come face-to-face with… a Pokémon? All I see is a yellow face with big red eyes. I blink a couple times, then sit up. This creature before me is unlike any I had seen before. It has black arms and furry yellow legs. The oddest part of it is the huge black mouth hanging off the back of its head, lined with sharp teeth. The creature stares at me with a slight, almost mischievous grin. I have no idea what to make of it.

"Uh… hello, there," I say to it.

The creature does not make a sound. Instead, it continues to stare at me with those big red eyes, silent. I run my fingers through my messily spiked silver hair. Its stare starts making me uncomfortable, so I reach into my pocket and procure a couple Oran berries. I offer them to the creature.

"Do you like berries?" I ask. Surely it must. I have yet to meet a Pokémon that refused berries.

The Pokémon looks at the berries, then back at me. I smile and nod, extending my hand further. Finally, the creature smiles, turns around, and chomps down hard on my hand with its giant gaping jaw.

"YOW!" I yell. I try to pull my hand away, but the creature does not let go.

A man, who had apparently heard my yelp, came running from the Global Trade Terminal. He rushes up to me and manages to soothe the Pokémon. It lets go on my hand. I gently rub it.

"I'm terribly sorry about that," the man says. "This little guy got away from me. It's been quite the handful since its arrival."

I rub my throbbing hand, and look at the man. "Arrived? From where?"

The man shrugs. "We had a malfunction this morning and this guy came through without a trade being initiated," he explains. "We haven't even opened yet and already we're having problems. The computer's data got corrupted, so we have no idea where it came from."

I look down at the Pokémon. It looks back up at me. It is kind of cute, but if it came through the Global Trade Terminal, it must belong to someone, and since it came through without a trade being initiated, that someone did not get a Pokémon in return. Surely, the owner would want it back, right?

"Maybe I can help," I say to the man. "Perhaps we can find its original owner and bring it back."

The man shakes his head. "Good luck, kid," he says. "This is the GLOBAL Trade Terminal. It connects trainers from around the world. It could have come from anywhere!" The man sighs. "You might as well keep it. It seems to like you anyway."

I look down. The Pokémon is licking the hand it just bit. I chuckle. "I think it just likes the way I taste." I stoop down. "Where are you from? I've never seen a Pokémon like you."

The man smiles. "Well, that settles it, then. Enjoy your new home, little guy." He walks back toward the building.

I pet the Pokémon's head. It stares at me with those red eyes again, silent. I smile.

"My name is Crono," I say. "It's nice to meet you!"

The Pokémon smiles back, saying nothing. I think for a bit. "I don't know what you are, but we have to call you something. Do you even make any noise? Most Pokémon make some noise."

Silence.

A mute Pokémon, I think. "Well, how about I call you 'Jaws'? Hmm?" It grins at me. "Ha, all right, it's settled! 'Jaws' it is!"

It starts running circles around me. I watch it run for a bit as I think. "Perhaps Professor Oak will know. After all, he's the Pokémon Professor! Let's go, Jaws!"

Jaws and I approach the Radio Tower, where Professor Oak hosts his radio talk show. Upon entering, we are greeted by the receptionist. She asks for the purpose of our visit. I inform her we are here to see Professor Oak.

"Ah, you must be Crono," she says with a smile. "His show begins soon, but if you hurry, you may be able to catch his before it starts."

I am confused how she knows me by name, but I thank her and we head upstairs. As we walk towards the stairs, I feel her staring in our direction. I glance back at her. She has a weird, almost confused, look on her face as she looks at Jaws. _Heh, trust me lady, I'm just as confused as_ you, I think.

The Radio Tower is filled with many people, all busy preparing for and performing various forms of radio entertainment. I pass by a poster for the Jigglypuff Lullaby show. It claims to have one of the highest ratings in radio. I joke to myself that it must be because people fall asleep while they are flipping through the stations and it gets stuck on this show.

We walk up another flight of stairs and find Professor Oak in his studio with…

"Mother?!" I gasp.

Both Professor Oak and my mother look at me. Professor Oak smiles warmly. "Ah, you must be Crono." He extends his hand. "Your mother, Mary, has told me all about you."

My mother smiles at me. "Professor Oak hired me as his co-host!" she exclaims happily.

Professor Oak nods. "Yes, your mother surely has a golden voice," he says. "She'll make a fine addition to the show!"

I proceed to collect my jaw from the floor. "Uh, well… that's… awesome?" I am at a loss for words. "How did this happen?"

Mother smiles. "We met at the Department Store," she explains. "I was going to purchase some Oran berries for Cyndaquil, but it was a tad too expensive. Samuel was behind me and offered to help pay. We started talking and the next thing I know, he asked me to co-host his show."

Professor Oak glanced over at her. "Today will be her first show, so we'll see how well she does. I'm certain she'll be great!"

"Well, that's awesome," I say, still a little shocked. Still, I am happy Mother found a job, and it is with the Pokémon Professor! Which reminds me, I need to…

"AIEEEEEE!" A shriek comes from outside the studio. We rush out to find Jaws had clamped down on a young lady's long hair. "Get it off of me!"

"Jaws!" I shout, running towards the lady. "Let go!"

Jaws nibbles on the hair, refusing to let go. I think back to what the man did when Jaws has chomped down on my hand, then proceed to stroke its head. "Come on, Jaws," I say soothingly. "Let go of the nice lady's hair."

Jaws looks up at me, then releases the lady's hair. The lady turns around angrily. "What the heck is that thing?! Control your pet!"

"I'm terribly sorry, ma'am," I apologize. "I think it's just hungry."

The lady stomps her foot, turns around, and storms away. I continue to pet Jaws and it nuzzles my hand. I reach into my pocket, but come up empty. No more berries.

"Sorry, bud," I say. "I'm all out. Let's see if we can find you something."

Professor Oak stares down at the Pokémon. "Hmmm, what an unusual Pokémon," he remarks.

"Do you know what it is, Professor?" I ask.

Professor Oak strokes his chin as he thinks. "I can honestly say I've never seen such a creature," he says. "But, do not worry. I have a couple young lads working for me in my research." He reaches into his coat pocket and reveals a red device. "This is what I call a Pokédex. It's an electronic encyclopedia of all the Pokémon in the world. It's not finished yet, but my researchers are out there, searching far and wide for every single Pokémon." He opens the device and it chimes as it powers on. "I've been getting regular updates from my grandson, Blue, and my neighbor's boy, Red, through the Pokémon Storage System, but with the assistance of Bill and Professor Elm, I now can receive real-time updates from them the moment an entry has been added to their Pokédex."

The device finishes booting up and Professor Oak taps away. "Let's see if they've encountered anything like this."

Professor Oak furrows his brow as he browses his Pokédex. My mother and I peer over his shoulder and he flips through page after page of various Pokémon. Jaws starts climbing up my back and clings to my shoulder. _Wow, it's kind of heavy!_ I think. I let it stay, though. I figure if it is on my back, it will not be trying to eat other people's hair.

Finally, Professor Oak speaks. "Well, it would appear my helpers have encountered this Pokémon before, but have not yet caught one." He taps a few buttons and the entry for it pops up. "It's called Mawile and it's from the Hoenn region, but because neither Red nor Blue have caught one yet, there's not much else information on it." Professor Oak snaps his Pokédex closed. "So, how is it you have one?"

For a moment, I did not answer. _From the Hoenn region_. I ponder this. How am I to find the original owner of this Mawile if it is from a completely different region?

"Crono?" my mother's speaks softly. "How did you get it?"

I snap back to the present. "Oh, um…" I scratch the back of my head. "Well, I was out on the pier by the Global Trade Terminal this morning. That's where I met it. A guy from the there said it came through the trade system during a malfunction."

"Oh dear," Professor Oak looks serious. "Someone must have put it up for trade then. Well, if it was up for trade, certainly, the owner won't miss it. A pity. Good thing it found you. It seems to like you."

I look down. Jaws was licking my hand again. I smile, then quickly shake my head. "Wait, no!" I shout. "The guy said that the original owner never got a Pokémon in return when the system malfunctioned. Certainly, the owner would want it back!"

"Hmm…" Professor Oak appears to be thinking. My mother looks at him, seemingly knowing what he is thinking. He looks at her, and she nods. "Well, why do you not go looking for the owner?"

"Whaaa?!" I step back. "No no, I can't leave here. Mother needs me. My job may not pay much, but it's our only income."

"Don't worry, dear," Mother says calmly. "My job here pays well enough. I'll be all right on my own. Besides, you're seventeen. It was only a matter of time before you went out on your own." She smiles. "Go have an adventure!"

I look at her sadly. I really do want to leave, but I do not want to leave her alone. "Are you sure you'll be okay, Mother?"

Professor Oak smiles. "I'll personally ensure she is well taken care of," he says.

"I won't be alone, either," Mother says. "I'll have Cyndaquil and HootHoot with me."

My heart races. _My very own adventure. Leaving the noise of the big city._ I clench my fists and grin. "All right!" I shout. "I'll do it!"

Jaws and I step outside back into the morning sunlight. My heart is pounding against my ribcage. I finally get to go out on my own! I look down at Jaws. It was staring off into the distance. _I wonder if its thinking about its owner_ , I think. _Speaking of which, I wonder what its sex is. Certainly, I can't keep referring to Jaws as 'it'. How does one even find that out?_ I ponder for a bit. _Eh… I guess I could always look?_ I kneel down and look around it. I do not see anything that would suggest anything. Jaws has large tufts of fur around its legs. Maybe I can tell under there? I reach down and pick Jaws up, then hold it over my head to look. There it is. Jaws glares at me over its shoulder. "Uh… hehe… so you are male?"

Jaws chomps down on my head. "Ack! I'm sorry!" I run around, trying to shake him off. Jaws finally releases me and drops to the ground. He turns his back to me and crosses his arms. I rub my face. "I'm sorry, buddy," I apologize. "Are you ready to go?" Jaws looks at me from over his shoulder, then turns around and nods. I pat his head. "Let's go home and pack!"

As we walk down the road, people bustle around us, preparing for the day and mulling about their business. Many of the people give Jaws funny looks as they walk by. _Makes sense_ , I think. _He is from a totally different region._ I almost feel proud of having an exotic Pokémon, but then I remind myself that he is not mine, just simply in my care. I let out a sigh. I tell myself not to get too attached. Still, I cannot help but wish he was my own. He was pretty unique and unusual. _I wonder how well it can battle_ , I ponder.

Just I think this, the Goldenrod City Gym comes into view. I stop in front of it and look up at the sign. "Goldenrod City Gym. Gym Leader: Whitney, master of Normal-type!" the sign reads. The building is pastel pink and blue, with large windows and two giant spotlights in the lawn. The sight is imposing as I remember my last time trying my hand at the Pokémon League challenge. Poor Cyndaquil and HootHoot got stomped hard by Whitney's Miltank. She was ruthless and I never stood a chance.

Jaws pulls me out of Memory Lane. He tugs on my shirt, looking up at me. I look down and smile. "What's up, buddy?" I ask.

Jaws points to the gym. I look at the large glass doors. "Huh?" I am confused. "You want to go inside?" Jaws nods.

"Well, all right," I say. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

We walk up to the doors and I pull them open. Upon stepping inside, the sight was grandiose. "Wow…" I gasp. The gym changed a lot since I was here five years ago. "Business must have been good," I quip.

The interior is one massive glass dome lined with pink trim and a pink tile floor. Various pastel blue walls are scattered around the room, creating a maze-like atmosphere. The sounds of various trainers having heated battles echo through the corridors. The place smells vaguely like bubblegum. "Well, Jaws, what do you think?" I ask.

Jaws' eyes light up as he looks at the big glass dome. His mouth is wide open with awe as he takes in the sight. I have never seen such look of wonder on a Pokémon before. It is pretty amusing. "Want to walk around?" I ask. Jaws smiles and does a little hop. "Haha, okay!"

We walk through the corridors. The walls are lined with various portraits of trainers with Normal-type Pokémon; Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Furret, even a trainer with three Tauros. I wonder if they are winners or just people who trained here. We round a corner and encounter a battle underway. The two trainers are faced off, a male trainer with a Parasect, and a female trainer with a Persian. We watch for a while.

"Persian, use Slash!" the female shouts. Persian leaps at Parasect, claws out.

"Spore attack, Parasect!" Parasect leans forward and a cloud of spores explode from the giant mushroom on its back. The Persian gets a face full of the stuff and falls to the floor, fast asleep. "All right, now use Leech Life!" Parasect crawls toward the sleeping Persian, grabs the feline in its claws, and sinks its teeth into the Persian's neck.

"No, Persian, wake up!" the Persian's trainer yells. Persian does not move. Parasect continues to drain the Persian of its energy.

"Now finish it with Slash!" Parasect lets go of the Persian. The Persian slowly wakes, but struggles to get to its feet. Parasect pulls a claw back and swipes it hard at the feline. Persian takes the full force of the attack to its face and flies several feet. Persian lays on the floor, not moving.

"Persian, no! Come back!" The female trainer pulls out a Pokéball and pulls Persian inside.

"Yes!" The male trainer pats Parasect on the head. "Great job! You were awesome!"

The female trainer sigh. "That was a good fight," she says. "You may have bested me, but you will never defeat Whitney!" She then turns around and stomps away.

The guy pulls his Parasect back into its Pokéball. He sees me and waves. "Hey there!" he says. "Did you see that fight?"

I nod. "I sure did," I say. "Good job!"

The guy beams. "Yeah, I'm pretty awesome!" he gloats. "This gym is cake. It's just a bunch of girls!"

I grimace. "You know, it wasn't all you," I say.

The guy's face gets stern. "What did you say?"

I repeat myself. "It wasn't all you. Your Pokémon is the one doing most of the work. You just sit back and bark orders." The guy growls, gripping his ball tightly. "Also, your remark about girls was uncalled for. She put up a good fight too. And isn't the Gym Leader here a girl too?"

The guy grips his ball even tighter. "Oh yeah?" he growls. "If you think you're so tough, how about we have a battle?"

I wave him off. "No thanks," I say. "I don't battle." I turn my back to him and start walking away. "Come on, Jaws."

The guy fumes. "Hey!" he yells angrily. "You can't refuse a Pokémon battle!"

"Watch me," I call back as we turn a corner. As we walk away, I hear the angry stomps of the trainer we just blew off.

We keep walking and I suddenly feel like we are lost. How do we get out of here? I look down at Jaws, but he seems to be enjoying himself. _Oh well_ , I think. _If he's enjoying himself, I guess we can stick around a bit longer._ We enter an open area, where four trainers are having a two-on-two battle. Two female trainers, who are wearing matching Whitney hats, are squared off against a male-female team that appear to be a couple. The hat wearers, whom I assume are gym trainers, are using a Lickitung and a Jigglypuff. The couple are using a pair of Charmanders. I chuckle as the thought of this couple having a pair of Charmanders that are also a couple. We pass them by, turn another corner, and go under this large flowery arch. On the other side of the arch, in a wide open arena, stood Whitney.

Whitney is smiling as she points her finger out. She is in a fierce battle with another trainer. The other trainer is the trainer from before! He made it here before us and is battling Whitney using his Parasect. Whitney's Clefairy stands before the Parasect with a lax and adorable look on its face. "Clefairy, use Metronome!" Clefairy raises its arms and points its fingers in the air. It rocks back and forth as its fingers begin to glow.

The rude trainer shouts. "Parasect, put it to sleep! Spore!" Parasect leans forward, pointing its giant mushroom in Clefairy's direction. A giant cloud of spores fill the air, surrounding Clefairy. Clefairy stands there, then as the cloud settles, the Clefairy slowly fades away. "What?!"

Whitney grins. "It used Double-Team!" she chimes happily. "Clefairy, use Double-Slap!" Clefairy jumps in front of Parasect and begins slapping it across its face. Parasect flinches from the merciless blows and falls back.

The trainer growls. "Grrr, use Leech Life!" Parasect scurries to Clefairy and sinks its teeth into Clefairy. Clefairy squeals in pain.

Whitney puts her hands on her cheeks. "Oh no," she gasps dramatically. "Whatever will we do?" She giggles. "Clefairy, use Mimic!" Clefairy's eyes get wide and it pushes Parasect away, then pounces on Parasect's mushroom and bites into it hard. Parasect becomes drained of its energy, fainting.

"Augh! No way!" the trainer shouts angrily. He slams a Pokéball on the floor and the unconscious Parasect gets pulled in. He turns around and storms toward me. As he passes me, I cannot help but smirk.

"Cake, huh?" I quip arrogantly. The trainer glares at me, then stomps away, grumbling under his breath.

Whitney pulls her Clefairy back into its Pokéball. She eyes me at the archway and smiles. "Are you my next challenger?" she asks.

"Oh, no," I say. "I'm just a spectator."

Whitney walks over to us. She looks down at Jaws and gasps. "Oh my, what is this Pokémon?"

I look down at Jaws as well. "This is Jaws," I say. "He's lost. I'm trying to help him find his way home."

Whitney kneels down and pets his head. "Wow, I've never seen such a Pokémon before," she says. "It's so unusual."

Jaws looks carefully at Whitney, then nuzzles her hand. Whitney giggles. "So cute!"

I smile. "Professor Oak says he is a 'Mawile' from the Hoenn region," I inform.

Whitney stands up. "Hoenn, huh?" She looks back at Mawile. "You're far from home. I'd love to battle you and your Mawile, if you're up for it."

I begin to speak, but Jaws pulls on my shirt. I look down to see Jaws pointing at Whitney and kind of hopping up and down. I am confused at first, then figure he must be referring to her battle offer. "You want to battle her?" I ask. Jaws nods.

"So it's settled!" Whitney chirps. She skips to her side of the arena. "Let's do this!"

"Whoa, wait, I…" I stammer, but Jaws was already dashing to the arena. I scratch my head. "Uh… okay, that just happened…"

Whitney grabs a Pokéball off her belt and holds it in the air. "Here I come!" She throws it and Clefairy pops out.

"Ack, hold up!" I am clueless at what I am doing. I do not even know what moves Jaws knows. How am I supposed to battle without knowing his moves?

"Clefairy, use Metronome!" Whitney shouts, pointing her finger. Clefairy raises its fingers and they begin to glow.

"Uh… Jaws, use… uh… Bite?" I stammer. I really am clueless.

Jaws looks over at me, then pulls out a small ball of rice out of… its butt? Where did it get that from? Jaws tosses it up and its massive jaws chomps down on it. I groan. "I meant bite the Clefairy…"

Whitney giggles. "Wow, not very obedient, is it? This should be over soon." Her Clefairy finishes its move and fires a stream of water from its mouth. "Hey, she used Water Gun!"

Jaws finishes eating his rice ball and begins to glow slightly just before the water hit. Jaws steps back from the pressure, but holds his ground.

 _Did it just glow,_ I wonder. _How unusual…_

Whitney looks equally confused. "What was that move?" she asks. I just shrug. "Huh, you don't even know your own Pokémon's moves? What kind of trainer are you? Oh well, Clefairy, use Double-Slap!"

Clefairy leaps toward Jaws and unleashes a barrage of vicious slaps. Jaws quickly turns his massive jaw toward Clefairy and uses it to absorb the blows. Then he pulls out a cheeseburger and tosses it into his gaping mouth. He glows a little brighter.

"Wow, what kind of Pokémon is this?" Whitney asks, befuddled. "There's not a scratch on him! And why is he glowing?"

"You see it too?" I mutter to myself. "I thought I was imagining it."

"Hmm… whatever that move is, I want it too!" Whitney furiously jabs her finger at Jaws. "Clefairy, use Mimic and take that move!" Clefairy does a little dance, then a victory pose. She then smiles happily.

 _Uh… that was interesting,_ I think. "Go, Jaws, do something awesome!" Jaws eats a candy bar, glowing even brighter. "Yeah… that was… awesome."

Whitney giggles. "Hungry little guy, isn't it?" Whitney jumps up and down. "That move doesn't seem very useful, so Clefairy, use Metronome again!" Clefairy does her finger dance, then a cloud of leaves swirl through the air. The leaves fly at Jaws, surrounding him. The leaves slice into Jaws' hide. Jaws shakes himself furiously and the leaves drop to the floor.

"Jaws, are you okay?!" I call out. Jaws hops a little and takes a ready stance, staring down Clefairy.

"Razor Leaf didn't do much either!" Whitney shouts. "What is this guy made of, steel?"

"All right, Jaws" I say. "I don't know what you have planned, but let's finish this!"

Jaws runs towards Clefairy, then spins around and opens his massive jaw right in front of Clefairy's face. He shudders violently and suddenly pukes on Clefairy. Both Whitney's and my jaw collectively hit the floor.

"That… is… DISGUSTING!" Whitney cries. "Gross gross GROSS!"

Clefairy is stunned, then falls over, unconscious. Jaws leaps back and takes a ready stance.

"What?!" Whitney pulls Clefairy back into her Pokéball. "That was a cheap shot! Now you're in for it. Go, Miltank!"

Whitney throws a second Pokéball and Miltank pops out. I immediately have a flashback to when this thing rolled over my Cyndaquil and crushed it. I shake the memory away and return back to the battle. "Jaws, don't let your guard down. This Pokémon is tough!"

Whitney points her finger. "Let's end this, Miltank! Rollout!" Miltank curls into a ball and furiously speeds towards Jaws. Jaws turns his maw toward Miltank and hunkers down, creating a ramp. Miltank rolls up Jaws' giant mouth, and catches air. Jaws then turns around and plants his feet onto the floor. Miltank hits the floor, drifts around, and rolls back toward Jaws. Jaws pulls his arms back and slams hard into Miltank with both fists and its jaw. Miltank plows into the floor and stops rolling.

"Miltank!" Whitney cries. "No way!"

"Yeah, go Jaws!" I cheer. Jaws steps back, preparing for another strike.

Miltank rises from the floor, battered, but not beaten. She jumps back and takes a defensive stance. "Miltank, use Milk Drink!" Whitney shouts. Miltank reveals out an empty bottle. She pulls on one of her utters, filling the bottle with milk. Finally, she drinks the milk, looking refreshed.

"Now THAT is gross," I say.

"Where did you think milk came from in the first place?" Whitney asks. Good point.

"All right, Jaws," I shout. "Do that strong move again and finish it!"

"That move was Brick Break and it is learned from a Technical Machine," Whitney calls to me. "How do you not know this? Anyway, that move is dangerous, Miltank. Let's keep that from happening and use Attract!"

Miltank takes on a seductive pose and waves at Jaws. Jaws moves out of his stance and cocks his head. Miltank starts shaking her tail at Jaws. Jaws' eyes get wide and he starts looking smitten. "Oh, God…" I groan. "That's just cheating."

"Perfectly legit move!" Whitney cheers. "Now Rollout!" Miltank curls into a ball and rolls at Jaws.

"Jaws, use that move… er… Brick Break!" I shout. Jaws just stands there, lovestruck. Miltank slams into him, sending him flying. He hits the floor, then slowly rises to his feet. Miltank turns around and rolls toward Jaws again, this time at a faster speed.

"Come on, Jaws, use Brick Break!" I shout louder. Jaws just stands there, hearts in his eyes. Miltank slams into him again. He slides across the ground, then slowly picks himself up again. He looks battered.

Whitney giggles. "Looks like he's too in love to fight back. Miltank, finish him off! Let's break his heart!"

Miltank rolls towards Jaws at high speeds. I grimace. I do not want to see Jaws take another blow. "Jaws, please!" I beg. "Get out of the way!"

Jaws stands there, staring at Miltank rolling closer and closer. Finally, Jaws closes his eyes and shakes his head. When he opens his eyes, they are filled with vigor and determination. He plants his feet onto the floor, pulls his arms back, and just before Miltank rolls into him, he slams both fists and his jaw into her with all his might. Miltank face-plants into the floor and stops moving, unconscious.

I jump into the air and cheer. "All right! Good job, Jaws!" I run into the arena and pick him up. He genuinely looks pleased with himself. I chuckle.

Whitney stares at her Miltank. "No…" she whimpers. "No… NO! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Whitney crumbles to the floor and breaks down into tears. "Not fair not fair not fair! How dare you! Whaaaaaa!"

"Uh… Whitney?" I say.

A female voice speaks from behind me and I turn around. "She always does this when she loses," a gym trainer says. "Don't worry, she'll calm down soon." She points at Whitney. "See, she's already stopping. Go talk to her now."

I walk over and put my on her shoulder. Whitney stops crying and looks up. "Oh, ahem." She wipes her eyes and stands up. "I'm sorry, that's unbecoming of a Gym Leader. Per the rules of the Pokémon League, you have earned the right to wear this badge. Here, take the Plain Badge."

She holds her hand out and I take the badge. I look at it in wonder. A badge. I actually have one. I clench my fist around it and close my eyes. The memories of the battle are still vivid and fresh in my mind. The memories of my first fight with her are there too, and as I remember them, I make my decision.

"No."

"Huh? Whitney looks at me wide-eyed.

I open my eyes. "No," I say again. "I do not deserve this badge." I look down at Jaws. "I'm no trainer. I was clueless in that fight. Jaws here did all the work. He even appeared to know what he was doing and took the fight in his own hands. If anyone deserves this badge, it's Jaws."

Whitney smiles. "You have quite a special Pokémon there," she says. Then she looks at Jaws. "And you have quite a special friend. I wish you both luck in all your endeavors!"

I smile warmly. Jaws looks up at me and beams. "Thanks, Whitney. Let's go find your home, Jaws."


	2. Chapter 2: First Steps

We arrive at my home around lunch time. It is a small home on the 3rd floor of an apartment building at the east edge of the city. I like it because it is comfortable and my bedroom window had a nice view of the nearby forest. Every morning, a Murkrow lands on the wall between the city and the forest, squawks mercilessly into my open bedroom window, and flies away. Obnoxious, but at the same time, reassuring in the reality of this world; that it is teaming with wondrous life everywhere, a whole world to explore full of adventure, and that makes me smile every time I wake up. I have always dreamed of exploring that world, and now, my dream is about to become a reality.

I am greeted at the front door by Cyndaquil. She comes running up to me in her cheerful way and paws at my pant leg. Jaws waddles in from the hallway. Cyndaquil squeaks and the flames on her back grow. I step back quickly to avoid getting burn. "Whoa, girl," I say. "It's okay. He's fine!"

Cyndaquil looks up at me, then back at Jaws. The flames disappear as she sinks to the floor and crawls slowly toward Jaws. Jaws watches her curiously as she moves closer. Cyndaquil reaches Jaws and begins to sniff his feet. Jaws extends a hand out and pats Cyndaquil on the head. Cyndaquil sniffs the hand, then gets excited and stands up, flames erupting out of her back as she chirps happily.

Jaws' eyes suddenly goes wide. He leaps back and runs behind me, grabbing my legs. Cyndaquil, being the naïve pet she has always been, thinks he is playing with her and chases after her. They run around my legs a few laps before Jaws finally leaps into my arms. "Whoa!" I cry at the sudden weight. Jaws clings to me, shivering with fright, while a confused Cyndaquil stands at my feet, staring up at us.

"Are you afraid of Cyndaquil?" I ask, trying to comfort the guy. Jaws looks down at Cyndaquil. The flames on her back died down and Jaws seemed to relax. "Ah, you must be afraid of fire," I suddenly realize. "It's okay. She won't hurt you. She just does that when she gets excited."

Jaws looks at me, then leaps from my arms. "Cyndaquil, try to tone it down," I say to her. She looks at me with understanding.

"Now," I say, mostly to myself. "How about some food?"

I walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. I grab a container filled with leftover noodles from last night, then remembered that Mother went shopping this morning. I open the bottom drawer and discover a fresh batch of Oran berries. "Yes!" I shout. I grab a handful and close the fridge. I grab a fork, then walk over to the table and sit. As I open the container, I notice Cyndaquil and Jaws playing together. I smile as I watch the two. Cyndaquil would stand on her hind legs as tall as she could, then Jaws would tip her over with a gentle push. Cyndaquil would fall onto her back and giggle. It was a bizarre, but pleasant scene.

"Hey, you two," I call out. "Hungry?" I hold out some Oran berries.

The two run over and snatch up the berries. They then squat on the floor, munching happily. I get up and turn on the radio. "My mother should be on soon!" I say excitedly. I tune into the radio station and the program starts.

"Welcome to Pokémon Talk with Professor Oak!" my mother chimes. "I'm Mary and today, Professor Oak will be discussing where you can find the Pokémon Chansey!"

I listen as I eat. My mind wanders into recent events; my mother's new job and what it means for us, this new Pokémon that fell into my lap, and the journey that lies ahead of me. I have always dreamed of seeing the world, and now the opportunity has finally presented itself. I glance over at Jaws and Cyndaquil. The two have finished their meals and were slumped together, napping. I smile at how peaceful they look.

I finish my meal and turn off the radio. It is time to pack! I grab my backpack and stuff a couple changes of clothes inside. I then raid my Snorlax bank for what little money it had in it. I look up at the top of my bookshelf and see HootHoot sleeping away. I recall how long it took to train that bird to keep quiet at night. Finally, I search the kitchen for anything I can take with me. I settle for some Tauros jerky and rice balls. I grab a few more Oran berries for Jaws, then head back to the living room. Jaws was stirring from his nap. I pet his head and he opens his eyes.

"Good nap?" I ask. He yawns and stretches. "Ready to go find your home?"

Jaws stands up and waddles groggily toward the door. I chuckle. Cyndaquil wakes up and spies me near the door. She walks up to me and paws at my leg. I kneel down and pet her. "Sorry, girl," I say sadly. "You have to stay here. Keep my mother safe, and protect her while I'm gone, okay?" Cyndaquil cries softly and sits on the floor. I take one look around. Emotions swirl around inside me, a raging storm of both excitement and sadness. I may not see HootHoot, Cyndaquil, or my mother for a long time. I promise to myself to make contact as often as I can. I open the front door and Jaws walks out. I take one last look around. Cyndaquil looks sadly as I walk out and close the door behind me.

The midday sun shines bright and feels good against my face. A gentle breeze blows through my messy silver hair. It is one of my favorite things living Goldenrod City; warm sun combined with a cool ocean breeze. All my life, I wanted to escape the busy noise of city life, and now that I am about to, I suddenly do not want to leave. The conflicting emotions of the excitement of adventure and solemnity of leaving home swirl inside, giving me Butterfrees in my stomach. There is so much unknown in this journey. I have no idea what will happen, where I am going, or what I will even do when I get there. I am unsure of how I will even keep in touch with Mother. I suppose I will have to use the Pidgey Post in each town.

We arrive at the Goldenrod Department Store. The automatic double-door entrance opens wide for us and we walk through. The store is bustling with shoppers and their Pokémon, moving from shop to shop, spending their money. We walked over to the elevator, pushed the button, and went inside. The department store has five floors, an atrium on the roof, and a basement. I work in the basement, moving boxes around with the seven Machoke down there. The Machoke are great workers, strong and loyal. I will miss them, especially the one I nicknamed Brawny. He was the strongest of them, responsible for doing the heaviest lifting. He once picked up another Machoke and held her for a full hour, while she held the repairman fixing our lights because his ladder broke. He always opted to work with me over everyone else down there. Yeah, I will miss him very much.

The elevator chimes and the doors open. Jaws and I step into the basement. It must be a truck day, for the Machoke and the employees were busy moving and stacking boxes, while other employees unpack them. I find the dock manager, Craig. He smiles at me.

"Hey, Crono!" he greets warmly. "Isn't today your day off?"

I nod. "Yes, it is, but that's not why I'm here."

Jaws looks around at the Machoke in awe. He looks genuinely impressed at the strength of the creatures carrying all these heavy loads. He hops excitedly. I spy Brawny coming out of the truck with an armload of boxes. He sees me, runs to put the boxes down, and then runs up to greet me.

"Ma-ma-CHOKE!" he bellows with joy. I laugh and offer a high five. He slaps my hand like I taught him, causing my very bones to vibrate painfully. I wince with a grin and shake my hand.

"Good to see you, Brawny!" I say.

Jaws looks up in awe at the muscular Pokémon. He walks up to Brawny's leg and gently touches his muscular calf. Brawny looks down.

"MA-choke!" he says. Jaws grins and waves. Brawny reaches down and picks up Jaws, looking him in the eye. Then he looks at me. "Ma-choke-choke?"

"Huh?" I look at him for a moment, then nod. "Oh, yeah, go ahead, if it's okay with Craig. Sir, he'd like to take a break to play with Jaws."

Brawny looks at Craig eagerly. Craig smiles and nods. "Go ahead."

Brawny tosses Jaws into the air excitedly and catches him. The thrilled, yet nervous look on Jaws' face was priceless. The two trot off to play.

"I don't know how you do it," Craig says. "I've been working with these Machoke for six years and I still don't understand them. Then you come in for barely a year and can have full blown conversations with them!"

I just shrug. "I don't know either, sir," I say. "I just… understand them."

Craig chuckles. "Quite the talent, I'd say. Also, quite the unusual Pokémon you have there. Never seen anything like it."

Craig's mention of Jaws reminds me of why I am here. "That's actually why I'm here, sir. I have come to turn in my resignation."

Craig's eyes go wide. "Wait, what?" he says, stunned. "Why? You're our best employee. Nobody has ever worked as well with the Machoke as you have."

"Well, sir," I explain. "Jaws is lost, far from home. I am trying to help him find his way back."

"Hmm, I see," Craig says. "Quite noble of you. Well, you will be missed, especially by Brawny over there." Brawny stops and looks at me. He sets Jaws down and stomps over to me.

"Machoke?" he says solemnly.

"Yeah, big guy, I'm leaving," I say sadly.

"Ma-ma-choke?" He looks down.

"It's okay, I'll be back someday," I assure. "Cheer up, I won't be gone forever."

"Choke…" He grabs me and squeezes me hard. I feel my back crack in places I did not know could crack.

"Aw, it's okay, big guy. I'll miss you too."

Craig strokes his chin, then nods. "You know what, wait here." He runs to his office, leaving me and Brawny to hug it out. A minute later, he returns with an envelope and hands it to me. "Here, take this. Consider it your severance check."

I open the envelope. Inside was ten thousand Pokédollars. I beam.

"Sir, I can't accept this," I say. "I appreciate the gesture, but this is more than my monthly paycheck."

Craig shook his head. "Don't concern yourself about that," he assures. "You deserve it. This place won't be the same without you."

I smile and thank him. "Well, I'm off. Take care of Brawny for me."

Craig smiles. "You got it."

Jaws and I step into the elevator. Brawny gives me a sad wave as the doors close. I wave back.

We head up to various floors and look around. I figure I can use some of this money for supplies. I buy some travel rations for myself and some berries for Jaws. I also stock up on medicine and first aid supplies, just in case. After I pay for our supplies, we head out of the store and make our way to the Radio Tower. One last thing to do before we leave.

We head inside and head up to the third floor. Professor Oak and Mother were talking with another man. From the seriousness of their looks, I assume he might be the producer of the show. As I get closer, I hear what they are saying.

"…and boost our ratings," the producer says. "We need more energy from you, Mary. More excitement. Your voice is beautiful, but you sounded rather dull."

Mary looks a little somber, but nods in agreement. "I apologize," she says. "I'll do better next show."

Professor Oak steps in. "This is her first time being in show business," he says. "She's just nervous, but she's actually quite knowledgeable on Pokémon. I'm rather impressed!"

The producer looks at Mother and nods. "Yes, I can see that she is," he starts. "However, this is radio, and it is primarily entertainment. More energy, please. Make learning fun!"

Mother perks up. "Yes, sir," she says. "I'll do much better next time!"

The producer nods. "Excellent!" He turns and walks away.

I walk up to them. "Hey, Mom!"

"Crono!" Mother beams. "Did you hear the show?"

I nod. "Sure did, you were great!"

Professor Oak nods. "She sure was," he says. "I don't know what the producer's problem is. She was energetic enough." He shakes his head. "The show is new. Ratings won't skyrocket immediately."

I nod and hand her the envelope. "Anyway, here, Mom. My last paycheck."

She looks at me and takes the envelope. She opens to see seven thousand Pokédollars inside. "Oh, no, Crono," she says, handing it back to me. "Trust me, the pay here is plenty. Professor Oak even gave me an advance on my first paycheck. So you keep it and use it for your journey."

Professor Oak shrugs. "Not an advance. A 'Welcome Aboard' gift. I couldn't have found a better co-host."

Mary looks at him. "Thank you, Sam."

Professor Oak smiles. "Oh, and one more gift." He pulls out two boxes and hands us each one. We open them. Inside are two wrist devices. "That is called Pokégear. It has various functions, but the important one is the cell phone feature. Now you can contact your Mother any time you want."

Mother gasps. "Sam, it's too much!"

"Nonsense!" Professor Oak scoffs. "I take care of my partners."

I strap my gear on and hold it up high. "This is awesome! Thank you, sir!"

"It also has a radio feature, so you can tune in every morning," he says cheerfully. "Help boost our ratings!" He laughs.

I laugh too. "Thank you again, sir. Very much!"

I turn to Mother. "It's time, Mom," I say.

She opens her arms and I embrace her. "Take care out there," she says.

I nod. "I will."

Professor Oak holds his hand out. "To get to Hoenn, head north to Ecruteak City, then west to Olivine City. From there, you can take a ship to Slateport City in Hoenn."

"Yes, sir, thank you." I grasp his hand and we shake. I turn and head back to the stairs. I look over my shoulder and wave goodbye. They wave back.

Jaws and I leave the Radio Tower and head towards the North Gate. Along time way, I think about the path ahead of us. It will be long, but it will be exciting. A journey filled with mystery and adventure. As we approach the gate, I take one last look at Goldenrod City. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. "Goodbye, Goldenrod," I whisper. "Goodbye, Mother. I'll be home soon." I open my eyes, suddenly filled with determination. I look down at Jaws. He beams up at me. "Let's go, buddy!" We turn and walk out the gate, taking our first steps into the world.

The dirt road ahead is smooth, trampled by the many travelers who walk it. Tall trees surround us, with the sound of Spearow in the air. A serene lake lies to the west of the road. Every now and then, a Poliwag will poke its head above the surface, then dive back into the water. The tall grass in the woods rustle, no doubt by wild Pokémon playing or foraging for food. Just ahead, two trainers square off, and their Pokémon, a Yanma and a Psyduck, battle it out. Jaws looks on eagerly, eyes filled with joy. I have never met a Pokémon who loved battle as much as this little guy seems to do. I pat his head. "Come on, buddy."

As we come around a bend in the road, we are confronted with a large building. A sign reads "National Park and Pokéathlon Dome", with a smaller sign "Bug Catching Contest every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 2pm!" I check my Pokégear. "Saturday, 1:37pm," it reads. I look down at Jaws. "Want to check out the bug-catching contest?" He smiles and nods.

We walk in the gate and we are greeted by a lovely young lady with a beautiful head of red hair. I am taken aback for a moment as she smiles warmly at me. "Welcome!" she says. "Will you be participating in today's bug-catching contest today?"

"Ah… um… well…" I stammer. "I hadn't planned on it…" I feel my face burning red.

The woman keeps smiling. "Not a problem," she says cheerfully. "Should you change your mind, simply speak to me and I'll sign you up!"

I laugh nervously. "Haha, okay, thanks!"

"That's an odd Pokémon," she says, peering over the counter at Jaws.

"Yeah, he's definitely unqiue!" I say proudly.

"He's kinda cute," she says, glancing at me. My face burns as I wave goodbye.

Jaws and I walk toward the park entrance, looking around. Several trainers are hanging around, eagerly waiting for the contest to start. To our right, a gate leading to the Pokéathlon Dome invites all trainers brave enough to compete. People and Pokémon come and go through the gate, some with determined faces, and others with solemn looks of defeat. Behind me, I hear a loud, obnoxious, and strangely familiar voice boasting about the strength of his Pokémon. I turn around and, sure enough, it is the trainer from Whitney's gym.

"…and so I put her Persian to sleep, then I drain it of all its energy," he says. "Yeah, it didn't stand a chance." He tosses a Pokéball to himself, looking quite pleased with himself. The girls around him "ooh" and "aah".

"Jaws," I say. Jaws looks up at me. "Let's go before…"

"Well, look who it is!" the pest shouts. "The scaredy Meowth who refused to fight me."

I groan. I really do not want to deal with this guy right now.

"Ready to fight me now?" he belts out. "Or are you still going to wuss out?"

I look down at Jaws. He looks eager, fists balled up. I shake my head. "Not here, buddy," I whisper.

"Wussing out, I see," he says. "Might as well. Nobody can beat the great Bruce anyway."

I smirk. "Tell that to Whitney," I crack.

Bruce frowns. "That was a cheap shot," he growls, as the girls behind him snicker as they walk off. "Doesn't matter anyway. If I can't beat her, nobody can."

I shake my head, then reach into my shorts pocket. I open my hand and flash the Plain Badge. "Jaws here begs to differ," I retort.

Bruce's eyes narrow. "Yeah, whatever," he scoffs. "When I win this bug-catching contest, I'll be heading back down there to wipe the floor with her stupid cow."

"You're entering, huh?" I ask. "Hmm…"

I look down at Jaws and he nods. I nod back. "Let's put him in his place, shall we?"

We head back over to the pretty woman. "We'd like to enter please," I say.

The woman smiles. "All right," she says. "There is no entry fee. Here are your Sport Balls. Good luck!"

She hands be twenty Sport Balls and a small folded piece of paper. I open the paper as I walk toward the park entrance. It reads "Liz – 555-1069".

"Huh?" I look back at her, and while she is entering another trainer into the contest, she glances at me and silently mouths "Call me." I feel like I could spontaneously combust.

The announcer's voice comes over the intercom. "All participants, please meet in the park. The contest will begin in five minutes! I say again, the contest will begin in five minutes!"

"Well, Jaws, are you ready?" I ask. Jaws does his excited hop.

We walk through the park entrance and are greeted with a beautiful visage of nature. The park is wide and open, with vivid green grass waving in the gentle breeze. A gorgeous fountain stands in the middle of the park, flowing with crystal clear water. Tall trees surround the park, creating a natural enclosure for the park. The view would be tranquil were the air not filled with the sound of Bruce boasting how full of win he is.

We line up with the other contestants, ready to listen to the rules. "You have twenty minutes to catch the best Bug Pokémon you can find!" he announces. "You may catch as many as you like, but only one may be entered. All others will be released. At the end, our judges will determine the winner. Get ready… GO!"

Everyone scatters into the four winds. I look down at Jaws and shrug. "Let's go find a bug," I say. We wander through the grass. We see a Caterpie crawling through the grass. We look at each other and shake our heads. "Let's head to the treeline and see what we can find there."

We wander through the trees. I heard a soft buzzing sound. I look up and see several Beedrill flitting through the branches. I grab a ball, watch closely, and throw it at into the crowd. The ball hits one, opens up, and in a flash of light, the Beedrill gets pulled in. The ball falls to the ground in front of us. "Hey, look at that!" I shout excitedly. "I got it!"

The ball wobbles briefly, then pops open. The angry Beedrill flies out and hovers in front of me. "Uh oh…"

The Beedrill pulls its stinger arms back and charges toward me. "Ack!" I cry as I drop to the ground. The Beedrill turns around and flies at me again. Jaws jumps between us and smacks the Beedrill with his massive jaw. The Beedrill gets launched into the woods.

I pick myself up off the ground. "All righty then," I say. "That went poorly."

Jaws looks at me apologetically. I chuckle. "It's okay, buddy," I assure. "I didn't want that one anyway."

We continue walking through the trees. I notice a Scyther leaping from branch to branch. "Wow, that's fast!" I exclaim. "Think you can get it down here?"

Jaws just stares at me.

"Right…" I say. "Moving on."

We come across a small creek lined with brush. I hear a rustle coming from one of the bushes, so I sneak up to it and peek through. On the other side, I see an orange bug with two little mushrooms stuck to its back. "Ah, a Paras!" I whisper to Jaws. "Let's get it."

I quietly pull a ball out of my bag. The Paras drinks peacefully, completely unaware of the impending doom I was about to bring it. I take aim and throw the ball as hard as I could. The ball plunks into the creek. The Paras leaps back and spots me. "Our cover's blown!" I shout. "Get it!"

Jaws jumps into the creek and gives chase. Paras starts scurrying toward a large hollow tree. I throw another ball, but miss. Jaws is struggling to get out of the water. I yank him out and continue running after Paras. I throw a third ball and it gets stuck in the hole Paras was scurrying towards. "Man, I really suck at throwing," I sigh. "I'll get you for sure!" I pull out an armful of balls and throw them all at the Paras. Balls rain around Paras as it backs against the tree, cowering. Finally, a ball hits the Paras and it gets pulled inside. The ball hits the ground, wobbles a bit, then I hear an audible click. The ball stops wobbling.

"Hey, we did it!" I cheer. Jaws catches up to me, sopping wet. He glares at me. "Uh, heh, sorry bud," I apologize. "I got a bit carried away, didn't I?"

Jaws smirks mischievously and shakes himself off. Water flies everywhere. "Ack, hey!" I shout, covering myself with my arms. Jaws laughs silently.

I wipe my face and look at my Pokégear. Three minutes left. "Crap, dude, we gotta get back! Hop on!" I turn my back and stoop down. Jaws jumps up and clings to my shoulders. I run through the woods, trying to remember which way to get back to the fountain. We clear the treeline and I see the fountain in the distance. I sprint as fast as I can and make it back just as the announcer calls the end of the contest. Panting, I line up with the rest of the contestants. Bruce eyes me down the line.

"What took you so long?" he snorts. "I had caught the best one within the first five minutes. There's no way I can lose with this Scyther!"

 _Wow, he got that Scyther?_ I think. _He's better than I thought._

The judges step forward, examining each contestants Pokémon as they move down the line. Finally, they finish and the announcer is ready to declare the winners.

"And now the moment you've been waiting for!" the announcer shouts. "For third place, we have Timmy and his Butterfree!"

Everyone applauds.

"Second place, Crono and his Paras!"

I look down at Jaws and smile. "Second place, buddy! Good job!"

Bruce snorts, arms crossed confidently. "Too bad, better luck next time."

"And for first place, the winner of today's contest…" The announcer pauses dramatically. "…Sarah and her Pincir!"

"Whaaaaaat?!" Bruce's jaw slams into the ground.

"Here are your prizes, contestants!" Liz walks up with her arms lined with baskets. To Sarah, she hands her a very shiny yellow-green stone.

"Yes!" she shouts. "I can finally evolve my Pikachu!"

Liz walks up to me, hands me a basket full of Sitrus Berries. "Congratulations, Crono," she says with a wink. My heart thumps against my chest.

Liz hands Timmy a smooth round stone, then moves down the line, leaving little Timmy holding the stone with a confused look on his face. "Uh… thanks?"

The rest of the contestants received a single Oran Berry as a consolation prize. Bruce scoffs and shoves the berry into his pocket. "This stupid contest doesn't matter anyway," he says. "All I wanted was this Scyther, and I got it." With that, he stomps toward the south exit.

"Well, buddy," I say. "Are you ready to go?" Jaws nods.

We head toward the east exit. As we approach it, I suddenly remember the Paras I had caught. I pull the ball out and look at it, deep in thought. I then toss the ball onto the ground. It opens and Paras pops out. It looks up at me angrily.

"Hey, little guy," I say soothingly. "I'm sorry for the trouble I caused you. Here…" I reach into the basket and retrieve a Sitrus Berry. I place it in front of Paras. It looks at the berry, then at me. "Go on, take it and go home."

Paras hesitates, then stabs the berry with its claws and walks off into the grass. I smile to myself. Jaws looks at me confused.

"I'm no trainer," I explain. "Paras will be better off going back to its home than traveling with us."

Jaws looks at me. I have no idea if it understands me or not, but I decide he does and stand back up. "Let's go, buddy," I say. "We have a long trek ahead of us."

After an hour of walking, Jaws and I come to a junction. A sign informs me that Ecruteak City is to the north, while Violet City and the Ruins of Alph are to the east. I look at Jaws. "Hey, buddy," I say. "Mind if we take a detour? I've always wanted to visit the Ruins of Alph. It's an ancient ruin with strange markings, a wonderful archaeological find. I think you would like it!" Jaws smiles and nods.

We pass the sign and keep heading east. The road has been strangely deserted, especially since we had just left the quite populated National Park. The silence is eerie. An occasional rustle of leaves from the surrounding trees as the wind blows is all that we hear as we walk toward Violet City. As we walk, I reach into my bag and pull out some jerky and a Sitrus Berry. "Hey Jaws," I say. "Catch!" I toss the berry to him. He catches the berry and grins. I watch as he nibbles on it. Interestingly, he does not use his massive jaw to eat it. I had not noticed that back at the house, I just assumed he used the big mouth to eat, like he did in his battle with Whitney. Perhaps it is not a mouth in the traditional sense and simply used as a defense mechanism. I ponder this while we walk and before I realize it, we arrive at the Violet City gate.

"Huh," I mutter to myself. "Where are the ruins?" I look around and see a sign pointing west that reads "Ruins of Alph". I look west and see a path a short distance off leading south into the trees. I must have missed it while I was deep in thought. I tap Jaws on the head, who was playing with a Weedle crawling along the road. He looks up and starts following me.

The path to the ruins look less traveled. Rough, rocky, with grass and weeds overtaking the dirt path. A pair of Rattata peek their heads above the weeds as we approach and scurry into the surrounding brush. The further along the path, the thicker the brush gets. I wonder what kind of Pokémon live in this area. I hear the sounds of many creatures, but I do not see any lurking around. Jaws looks a bit edgy too, keeping a watchful eye in case any territorial Pokémon decide we are intruding and get defensive. Fortunately, we come to the end of the path without incident and are greeted with a fascinating sight.

"Wow!" I gasp. Before us lie the Ruins of Alph. Several stone structures, as well as a single modern shack, stand among the rubble. I approach a structure and gently touch its wall. It is strangely soft, leading me to believe it is made with a type of sandstone. As I walk around, looking for an entrance, I admire the intricate details put into the architecture. The walls are decorated with various detailing that has a soothing aesthetic effect. The walls are weathered with time, but remain largely intact. Whoever constructed this was an architectural genius.

At last, I come to an entrance. I look down at Jaws, who appears to be nervous. "Are you okay?" I ask. Jaws shivers slightly, fists balled. He is highly alert, constantly looking around, as if he can detect something I cannot. His nervousness starts making me nervous as well. "Try to relax, buddy," I say calmly.

As we walk through the stone archway, the interior slowly becomes visible. Dim torches gently illuminate the cavern. The walls are lined with ancient drawings of people and Pokémon. I step in further, taking in the sight, when suddenly, the radio on my Pokégear springs to life.

"What the…!" I look at my Pokégear. The radio channel is set for 13.5. It emits an odd sound, warped, distorted, and very eerie. I listen carefully, and it almost sounds like the sorrowful cries of a Pokémon, along with a faint melody that I have never heard before, but yet, is strangely familiar…

"Turn that thing off!" a scruff voice growls behind me. I jump and turn around. "People are trying to work!"

An older man, bearded and dirty, wearing a straw hat and round glasses, stands in the entrance, arms crossed. His once-white shirt is slightly tattered and his brown cargo pants is stained with dirt and mud. A satchel is slung over his shoulder, with various books and tools poking out of its many pockets.

"I'm sorry, sir," I say, scrambling to turn the radio off. "It just came on by itself."

"Hmm…" The man starts walking toward me. He takes my arm, looks at the gear, and taps a couple buttons. After a few seconds, the gear falls silent.

"Ah, thank you," I say. "I just got it today. Haven't had the chance to figure everything out, haha!"

The old man glares at me from beneath his hat. He looks me up and down, slowly walking around me. I watch him, not moving. Finally, he comes back around, having fully circled me. "What's your name, boy?" he grumbles

"Ah, it's Crono," I say.

The man leans forward and looks me square in the eye. "Why are you here?"

"Uh…" I stammer. "I have always wanted to visit here since I was a kid. I read about it in a book and it always sounded fascinating. I had the opportunity and came here."

The old man leans back, standing straight up. "You… are genuinely interested in this place?" he asks, sounding surprised.

I nod. "Of course."

The old man's face softens and he smiles. "Then welcome to the Ruins of Alph, Crono!" he says excitedly. "The name's Cole. I'm the head archaeologist here. I'm sorry for being so rough around the edges before. It's rare to get any visitors here. We mostly get people just looking for treasure. 'Ain't no treasure here!' I tell them. But do they listen? No! They go in and start destroying things, invaluable things that have a rich history deep in mystery. That's why we're here. To discover the meaning behind these ruins and protect them from vandals."

"Well, I'm not here for any treasure," I promise. "I'm just interested in its history."

"You'll find plenty of that here, my boy!" Cole says happily. "Allow me to show you around." He touches my shoulder and guides me deeper into the chamber. "Along these walls, we have carvings depicting what appears to be the people who built these ruins…"

As he rambles on, I admire the ancient artwork carved into the walls. It appears to be a mural depicting the construction of the ruins in honor of Pokémon, but it is difficult to determine whether it is all Pokémon or a specific one. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see something move.

"Huh?" I turn my head in the direction of the movement, but I see nothing.

"What's the matter, my boy?" Cole asks.

Uh… nothing," I say, unsure if I saw something or just a trick of the light.

We move further into the chamber and reach a section of wall with strange drawings on them. "This is what is most fascinating about these ruins," Cole explains excitedly. "These strange marking on the wall. It's nothing like the other carvings we've seen. We are certain it is some sort of message, written in an ancient language, but we have yet been able to decipher it."

I touch the wall and trace my finger along the first etching. I step back and look at the entire carving. "Seven characters, hmm?" I mutter, mostly to myself.

"Seven?" Cole asks, confused. He had wandered around the panel, presumably expecting me to follow. "Nonsense, my boy, there are only six there."

I peek around the corner of the panel. "No, sir, I count seven," I insist.

Cole comes back to the front and looks. I point up and look as well. "See, sir, there are…" I stop. "…there are only… six…"

Cole just shakes his head and waves his hand at me. "Come, come," he says. "I'll take you back to the shack and show you some samples we've collected."

I ponder hard on the panel. "I swear there was seven… wait a minute…" I take a couple more steps back. "Sir… these kind of look like letters. OUR letters!"

Cole turns back to face me. "What are you talking about?"

Jaws suddenly starts getting restless. I pat him on the head, trying to soothe him as I explain what I see. "Look at this, sir," I say, moving closer to the panel. I touch the first character. "Doesn't this kind of look like our letter 'E'?"

The character is round circle with two bent bars, one on top, one on bottom, both right-angled to the right. A third bar seemingly crosses through the center circle. The circle itself almost looks like an eye, with a dot in the middle of it.

"You see?" I ask.

Cole looks closer. "Why, yes," he agrees. "I suppose it does. Why have we not noticed that before?"

I move my finger along the panel. "The next one kind of looks like an 'S', then a 'C'…" I keep going. "This isn't an ancient language. It's OUR language!"

Cole sigh. "So perhaps these ruins aren't as ancient as we thought," he says, disappointed.

"Or," I interject. "Perhaps our language is more ancient than we realize."

Jaws begins to grow even more restless. As brave as he was in battle, something about these ruins has him rattled. He grabs my shorts and holds on tightly. I finish my translation.

"It appears to read 'Escape'," I say. "'Escape'… escape from what?"

Suddenly, a low rumble resounds through the chamber. The walls begin to shake slightly. Debris falls from the ceiling. Jaws' eyes get wide. He lets go of me and starts running toward the exit. "Jaws, wait!" I shout.

Cole looks around in awe. "What is going on?" he asks.

I look back and Jaws is almost at the exit. As he crosses the threshold, a loud groan echoes through the chamber. Then, just as suddenly as it began, the shaking stops and the chamber grows quiet. Jaws peeks back in at me.

I pause for a moment. "Okay, bud," I call out. "You can come back now. It stopped."

Jaws hesitates, then re-enters the chamber. Cole has once again vanished, but I hear his voice echo off the walls. "Come, my boy!" he yells. "It's incredible!"

I walk around the panel. In the dim light, there before me, stands an opening in the wall, inviting us into the darkness.

Jaws and I stare into the gaping darkness before us. A chilling silence befell the chamber, creating an ominous ambience. Cole's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. His bearded mouth moved silently, as he tries to form words. Finally, he speaks.

"Incredible…" he whispers.

I step towards the opening and peer inside. There appears to be a path to the left of the opening, lined with statues. It is difficult to make out them out in the low light. I turn back, grab a torch from the wall, and head into the opening. Cole follows suit.

The flickering light of the torch illuminates the walls, revealing new designs. The murals depict never-before-seen Pokémon alongside humans. As we walk further down the hallway, I observe the statues. They depict some kind of four-legged creature, almost divine-looking, with a great ring around its body. I have never seen or heard of such a creature.

"Fascinating…" Cole whispers. "Just… fascinating! What do you think these statues represent?"

"I don't know, sir," I say honestly. "But if you ask me, it must have been some creature the builders of these ruins worshipped."

Cole gently touched one of the statues. "You think so?"

I shrug. "It's a thought," I say. "Why go through all the trouble of making all these statues?"

"Hmm…" Cole stroked his beard. "You make a good point. You know, you'd make a fine archaeologist. Care to join my team?"

"We'll see, sir," I say. "I still have things I want to do before I settle down. Um… where's Jaws?"

I look around, but do not see him anywhere. "Hey, buddy, where'd you go?" I call out.

I suddenly see movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn around and see a shadow down the hallway. I move toward it and the shadow moves away. I start walking towards it. The shadow moves further away. I then start running down the hallway, chasing after the shadow. "Hey, wait!" I shout.

"Whoa, wait for me!" Cole calls out.

I run faster. I know the shadow does not belong to Jaws; it is hovering. Despite this, I continue to chase it. I do not understand, but something inside me needs to know what it is. These ruins have kind of gotten to me, struck a nerve in some way. The murals, the written language, the statues; all of it speaks to me in a way I never knew possible. Something has drawn me to these ruins and I intend on discovering what.

Suddenly, the shadow disappears into a wall. I slide to a halt and trip over Jaws. "Whoa!" I fall to the floor, right on top of him. "Ow…" I roll off of Jaws. "Hey, buddy, sorry about that. Why did you wander off?"

Jaws picks himself off the floor, glaring daggers at me. He brushes himself off, then points at the wall. I look up and see more words. I get up slowly, not taking my eyes off the wall. As I read it, my heart races.

Cole catches up to us, huffing and puffing. "Ooooh," he groans, cracking his back. "I'm not as young as you, my boy. Take it easy on such an old…" He stops, noticing the wall. "…fascinating…"

I step back, taking in the entire wall. The letters are large, engraved deep into the stone. An overwhelming sense of awe fills my soul.

"Well, boy," Cole whispers. "What does it say?"

I take a deep breath and read slowly. "It says 'Our… words… shall… remain… here… for… the… ages?'" I say. I am confused. "It's a question?"

Suddenly, the question mark moves, coming out of the wall. "Whaaa!" I shout, jumping back. The question mark glides slowly toward me, coming into clear view. It is mostly flat, black, with a round eye where the dot would be. The dot moves around, looking at Jaws, then Cole, and finally, me. It moves closer and hovers in front of me. A gentle chime sounds from the question mark and it bobs up and down in the air.

"What… is it?" Cole asks. "A… Pokémon?!" Cole grabs a notebook out of his satchel and starts scribbling in it.

"It would seem so," I say. I reach out slowly to touch it. It zips around me, avoiding my touch. I turn around. It hovers in front of me, just staring at me. "This… is incredible."

Jaws stares up at the floating question mark. He watches it as it floats down towards him. It hovers for a few seconds before flying back toward the wall. My eyes follow it as it flies around the words.

"'Our words shall remain here for the ages'," I repeat. "These are your words?"

The question mark chimes. Heck if I know what that means.

"These words," Cole says, gently tracing one of the letters with his fingers. "They appear to be ancient. Just how old are these ruins? We must study this at once!"

"Wait," I say. "I find this hard to believe. It's one thing to find ancient words written in our language. It's something else entirely to find a CREATURE based on our language."

Cole opens his mouth to speak, then stops. He removes his hat and scratches his head. "You have a point there, my boy. How curious…"

"Sir," I say. "Do you realize what this means? What if these words written on the wall were not from humans, but from these Pokémon? What if humans didn't create the written, but humans learned it from Pokémon? Our entire way of communication is based on these creatures!"

"That is one heck of a hypothesis," Cole says. "I propose another. What if these creatures evolved into these shapes based on our written language. Maybe, they were even created by humans?"

"I don't think so," I say. "Look at these statues. Look at the murals. This creature the statues depict was probably worshipped like a god. I don't think the ancient humans did a lot of genetic engineering."

"True," Cole agrees. "However, these creatures are curiously absent from these murals. If they were around back then, why are they not depicted?"

So many mysteries behind these ruins, so many questions. Suddenly, this creature circling my head feels appropriate.

The question mark swirls through the air and disappears into the ceiling. A trap door opens above and a ladder drops in front of me. I look at Jaws and grab the ladder. "I guess we go up."

Jaws jumps onto my back and I climb the ladder. We go up into the ceiling and discover another chamber. Jaws hops off and walks around as I pull myself up. I reach down and help pull Cole up. I stand up and hold the torch out, illuminating the walls. I spy the question mark hovering in front of a wall. As I approach the wall, one of my feet step sink into the floor. I step back and noticed I triggered a pressure plate. The chamber rumbles and shakes as the wall before me splits open. A breeze flows through and I spell pine. Outside!

"Hey, we're out!" Cole shouts, running through the opening. Jaws and I walk through and look around. We are on a cliff, looking down at the rest of the ruins. Stars begin to appear in the sky as the sun sinks below the horizon.

"What a day!" Cole exclaims. "So many new discoveries! So many more to find! My boy, good job!" Cole grabs my hand, shaking it enthusiastically. I laugh at his excitement.

"Thank you for the opportunity!" I say.

Jaws tugs on my shorts and points up. I look in the direction he is pointing and see the question mark creature lingering in the doorway. I approach it slowly. I smile and hold my hand out. "Thank you," I say. "I don't know what you are, but thank you for everything you have shown us."

The question mark stares at me, silent. After what seemed like forever, it slowly moves toward my hand. It does not touch me, but I sense a friendliness from it. I look at it and smile, retracting my hand. It hovers there, just staring, but in its own way, I think it is smiling too.

We climb down the cliff and make our way back to the path. Before we leave, Cole grabs my arm and stops me. "Son," he says sternly. "You have been tremendously helpful out here. We have been here for years and thought we were making a good headway. Now you have shown me we have only begun to scratch the surface. Many more mysteries to solve here. Lots of work to be done." He looks me square in the eye. "There is room on my team for a young, strapping, and intelligent lad such as you. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

I hold my hand out, offering a shake. "I appreciate the offer," I say. "Maybe later, when I feel I am ready."

Cole smiles and grasps my hand. We shake, then part. "I look forward to it."

Jaws and I say our good-byes and walk down the path through the woods. It has gotten late and we need to find a good place to camp. As I ponder where we will stay for the night, I sense a presence hovering just behind me, staring at me. I do not turn around, but simply look ahead, move forward, and smile.


	3. Chapter 3: Stormy Skies

With our little detour, the trip to Ecruteak City took three days instead of two. The route was not as developed as most other routes, still being heavily wooded. We encountered numerous trainers, but most were polite and understanding about me not actually being a trainer competing in the Pokémon League. A couple, however, were pretty adamant about battling, with one actually ordering his Graveller to attack me, to which Jaws, quite happily I might add, made short work of. There were also Sudowoodo blocking part of the path, but Jaws managed to get them to move out of our way. Along the way, I even called up Liz, because why not? We talked quite a bit. I told her about our destination and why we were headed there. She was fascinated, saying she had always wanted to travel to Hoenn after hearing stories from her older sister, Jess, challenging the Hoenn League. At one point, it rained on us, and stupid me forgot to pack an umbrella. At long last, however, we managed to reach Ecruteak City.

We open the door to the Ecruteak Pokémon Center, sopping wet. The place was pretty busy, even for a Pokémon Center. People are gathered around a frantic looking nurse and an over-excited Chansey, all shouting unintelligible things at them. They are all soaking wet and many of them are even muddy. They are many Pokémon too, all looking exhausted or injured. I push my way through the crowd and listen to what people are saying.

"I understand your troubles," the nurse says. "We are working as fast as we can, but we simply don't have the manpower to administer you all at once.

"I don't care about your troubles," one disgruntled man shouts. "My Furret is injured and it's your job to heal her!"

"Yeah!" yells another upset trainer. "I thought this was a Pokémon Center! So treat our Pokémon!"

The nurse holds up her hands. "I'm sorry, but we are working as fast as we can," she pleas. "These things are not instant. It takes time. Please, be patient."

"We've been patient long enough!" shouts a third trainer. "It's our turn now!" He pushes the nurse aside, causing her to fall to the floor.

"That is enough!" bellows a loud commanding voice. Everyone turns around toward the source. In the entrance stands a tall imposing figure with spikey-red hair, wrapped in a dark cloak. Everyone remains silent as the man walks toward the offending man, his stern red eyes boring deep into him. He grabs the man by the collar. "Is this how you treat a lady where you're from?" he asks, pushing is nose mere millimeters from the man's face. "Because if it is, you belong out in the mud with the rest of the trash!" He drags the man to the entrance and shoves him out the door. He then turns to face the rest of the crowd. "Anyone else have a problem with how things are run here?"

The crowd burst into murmurs of acknowledgements. I rush over to help the nurse to her feet. The man approaches the nurse and extends his hand. "Are you all right?" he asks in a soft voice. His demeanor is suddenly completely opposite from his commanding presence mere seconds earlier.

The nurse takes his hand and he gently kisses it. "Oh yes, quite all right," the nurse says, blushing. "Thank you, Lance."

The name rings through my head. I have heard this name before. My mind races to place it and finally, it hits me. This man standing before me is the Indigo League Champion! I have heard stories about him and his Dragon-type Pokémon. Their power are the stuff of legends; the vicious Gyarados, the ancient Aerodactyl brought back from extinction, the terrible Tyranitar, the fire-breathing Charizard, and the all-powerful Dragonite. There are rumors of a sixth Dragon he owns, for he carries six Pokéballs with him. However, nobody knows what this sixth Pokémon is, for he has only ever used five in battle. To actually have a Pokémon he has never used in battle, he must be incredible powerful. He is one of the few trainers to be known around the world and has earned the respect of all who challenge the League. The man is a walking legend.

Lance turns to me. "And who might you be, young man?"

"Oh, um…" I stammer. To have the legendary Lance speak to me has made me unexpectedly nervous. "My name is Crono, sir, from Goldenrod City."

Jaws peeks up at Lance from between my legs, almost knocking me over. I step back over him. Lance looks down at Jaws.

"I see you have a Mawile," he says. "Interesting choice of companion."

"Wasn't exactly my choice, but…" I stop. "You know what it is?" I mentally slap myself, because of course he knows.

"Of course. Do you not?" he asks, curiously.

I shake my head. "He kind of just fell into my lap one day. I would love to know more about him."

Lance nods. "I can do that, but later," he says sternly. "Now is not the time for idle chit-chat. We currently have an emergency situation on our hands in need of my presence." He turns to the crowd. "As you all know, the sudden storm as caused a mudslide and flash flooding at Mount Mortar. People and Pokémon alike are getting washed away, while many more are trapped in the caves, and you all choose to bicker like a bunch of school children. Nurse Erin is doing her best to help you all. I expect each and every one of you to sit and wait patiently until it is your turn. More serious injuries take priority, to be decided by the nurse and ONLY the nurse!"

The crowd murmurs in agreement, most with their heads down in shame. Lance looks back at me. "Crono, you keep these people in line."

"Huh?!" I gasp. "Wait, why me?"

Lance's eyes bore into mine. "Because you're the only one here not panicking. You also showed compassion toward the nurse. Finally, I sense that Mawile of yours is quite strong. Work with him to maintain order here. I must head to the Lake of Rage."

"Sir, if you don't mind," I say. "What is going on?"

Lance takes a deep, impatient breath. "An old enemy has taken over the Radio Tower in Goldenrod City. The signal they are transmitting are causing the Magikarp at the lake to viciously evolve. The subsequent Gyarados swarm are raging, causing the current storm. I will head there to find a way to calm them down." Then, with a swish of his cloak, he was out the door.

The Radio Tower. My heart sinks as I think about my mother. I hope she is okay. However, I decide now is not the time to worry about her. She is strong and Professor Oak promised to take care of her. She will be fine. There are many others here who need help.

I look over at Nurse Erin. "What can I do to help?" I ask.

The nurse furrows her brow. "We have a second machine to heal Pokémon, but it broke down a few days ago. We haven't had anyone able to come out here to fix it. So, unless you are an electrical engineer, I fear there isn't much you can do."

I ponder for a bit. "Well, I did dabble in electronics growing up," I explain. "I suppose it couldn't hurt if I took a look."

Erin nods. "Very well," she says. "Chansey, do what you can to assist him. I can take it from here."

Chansey nods. "Chansey Chansey!"

I look at Jaws. "Hey, buddy, stay out here and protect Nurse Erin," I say. "Listen to her and help her out." Jaws nods.

Chansey leads me to the broken machine. I look around the outside of the machine. As I do, I think back to my electronics lessons. The first thing they taught us was to check the physical first, then the logical. The outside of the machine appears undamaged, so it is time to take a look inside. I find a panel on the side and open it up. My eyes widen as a plethora of wires and circuit boards appear before me. I take a deep breath and crack my knuckles. "Well, let's get to work."

Sweat drips from my brow as I dig through the medical machine. I methodically trace and inspect each wire for damage, along with each node, capacitor, resistor, and chip on each circuit board. So far, I have come up with nothing. Chansey peers over my shoulder, holding a small flashlight for me. After much frustration, I sit back and look at Chansey. "Hey, mind plugging in the machine?" I ask.

Chansey nods and wobbles over to the outlet. She plugs in the cord and suddenly, sparks fly into my face. "Whoa!" I jump back. "Unplug it!"

Chansey pulls the plug and the sparks stop. Finally, I realize what the problem is. The sparks came from two nodes that have two wires plugged in, causing a short in the circuit. It is a short wire, easy to miss, and looks like it could have just be a bridge between the nodes. That is why I missed it the first time. I pull the wire out.

"Okay, Chansey," I say. "Plug it back in."

Chansey shoves the plug back into the outlet. I shield my face, in case it sparks again, but nothing happens. I hear a boot-up whine, so I stand and look at the screen. The screen is garbled with various characters and pixels. A message pops up that reads "DETECT MISSINGNO." I tap on the keyboard, hitting various common key combinations that may cause some sort of BIOS screen to appear. Finally, one combo works and the boot system menu appears. I scroll through the various options. Chansey tries to push her head up through my arms to see, but I push her away. "Let me work," I tell her. She kind of sulks, but listens, standing by me. I find the disk boot option. The option was chosen to boot from flash drive. I scan the machine for the flash drive and find a disk inside. I pull it out. The label has a red R on it and nothing else. "Odd…"

I turn back to the screen. I switch the option to boot from on-board hard drive and restart the machine. A couple minutes later, the machine boots up, ready for use. "Ah, yes!"

I stick my head out the door, looking for the nurse. "Nurse Erin?" I call out.

Erin stands up from behind the counter. Her hair looks disheveled and her face is tight with stress. "Did you get it working?" she asks. I nod. Erin lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank you! This will help us take care of our patients twice as fast!"

She pushes a cart full of organized Pokéballs. "Put these in the machine. You can put up to six at a time, one ball her socket. You have to program each socket individually to heal the species that is within the ball. I have already organized and labeled them for you by trainer and species."

I take the cart and nod. "All right," I say. "I think I can do this."

I take a moment to learn the operating system on the machine, then start healing the Pokémon. Each load takes several minutes to process, but eventually, I manage to clear the cart. I emerge with the healed Pokémon.

"All right, who is…" I stop. The room was filled with people in black outfits. They had all the people pushed into a corner. Nurse Erin was crouched behind the counter with Jaws. Two of the black-clad people were at the counter, a man and a woman. The man reached over and grabbed Erin by the hair.

"Where is it, lady?" he demanded.

"Let go of me!" Erin cries.

The woman slaps Erin across the face. "We make the demands here. Now tell us where the machine is!"

"Hey, let her go!" I demand.

The two glare over at me. I gulp. What did I just get myself into?

"Who are you, kid?" the woman snaps.

The man looks at Erin, then pushed her to the floor. The two walk over to me. "This is adult business, kid," the man says. "I suggest you stay out of it." He grabs the cart from me. "What have we here?"

As he filters through the Pokéballs, I noticed these people have a large red R on their shirts, just like the one of the flash drive I pulled. They must have been the ones to sabotage the machine, but for what reason?

The man looks at me, then pushes the cart to another black-clad man. "We'll take these off your hands," he growls. He turns his attention back to the nurse. "Now, tell me, where it the medical machine we hijacked?"

I pull the disk from my pocket. "Are you looking for this?" I ask, showing him the disk.

The woman steps toward me. I step back. "No!" I shout. "You will NOT get this until you let everyone go and promise to leave."

The woman laughs. "You are in no positon to make demands, little boy," she cackles. "Hand us the disk now, or we will take it by force!"

The man plucks a Pokéball off his belt and holds it up. "I have in here an extremely deadly Pokémon," he says. "If you do not hand that disk to me, I will release it and it will fill this entire room with a deadly toxin, and everyone's death will be YOUR FAULT! Are you ready to take that kind of responsibility?"

My eyes dart around the room. All the people are in the corner furthest from the exit. Chansey is hiding behind me, and Jaws is with Erin. These people, all seven of them, are standing between me and the exit. The Pokémon he is speaking of I suggest is a Koffing, maybe even a Weezing. They are not exactly deadly, but the gases they emit can make people sick. These people, whoever they are, must be rotten to the core to threaten to make Pokémon attack people. I look back at Jaws and motion him over to me. "Chansey, go get Erin." I order. Jaws and Chansey swap positions.

The man glares at me. "You think you can take us all on by yourself, boy?" They all start pulling Pokéballs off their belts. "We have you outnumbered seven to one. You cannot win."

"Wrong," a stone cold voice calls from the entrance.

The man looks over his shoulder at the voice's owner. "You…" he growls. "How did you get past the guards?"

The mysterious person steps into the light, tossing a Pokéball in the air. "My Haunter made short work of them," he says. The man has shoulder-length blonde hair, donned dark purple clothing, with a ghostly-looking scarf draped around his neck. The man has a relaxed demeanor, like this was just a run-of-the-mill situation for him.

The woman looks angrily at the man. "You said Morty was in Saffron City!" she growls.

"He was! I made sure of it!" the man argued.

Morty takes another step. "He's right. I was in Saffron today," he says, so casually. "However, I got word of the storm, so naturally, I asked Sabrina's Alakazam to teleport me back here. After all, this city is under my protection."

The man tightened his grip on his Pokéball. "That's it," he says. "I've had enough with this. Team, let's do this!"

All seven members toss their Pokéballs. They all pop open and their Pokémon emerge. I quickly analyze the opposition. We have a Golbat, three Raticates, a Koffing, a Houndour, and a Houndoom. I glance down at Jaws. He is stuffing his face with a pie. "Jaws, now is not the time to…" I stop. Jaws starts glowing faintly. "Oh, right!"

Morty shrugs. "Well, if that's how it's going to be..." He tosses his Pokéball. It pops open and Haunter comes out. "He should be enough for the lot of you."

"Houndoom, use Crunch!" one guy shouts. The Houndoom lunges toward Haunter, fangs bared. It claps down right onto Haunter, but Haunter vanished. The Houndoom looks around, confused. The Haunter reappears across the room and sucker punches the Koffing. The Koffing goes down in an instant.

"Oh my," Morty says non-chalantly. "There goes your death threat."

The lead guy stomps his foot as he pulls Koffing back in. Jaws eats a handful of fries, then jumps out there and slams his massive jaw into a Raticate. The Raticate goes down. The other two Raticates and the Houndour surround Jaws. He clenches his fists and takes a defensive stance.

To my right, Chansey jumps on the counter, defending Erin from the blood-sucking Golbat. The Golbat swoops down. Chansey twirls, and shrinks down in size, narrowly avoiding the diving Golbat. Golbat turns around and dives for her. Chansey pulls the egg out of her pouch and tosses it into the Golbat's gaping maw. Golbat swallows it. The Pokémon looks confused for a moment before exploding. The explosion launches it into the wall and it falls to the floor. "Chansey CHANSEY!" she chimes with a twirl.

The two Raticates both jump toward Jaws. Jaws jumps to the side, avoiding the first, and then slams his jaw into the second. He then leaps over the fallen Raticate and lands on the other's back. He clamps his giant mouth onto the Raticate's head. Raticate flails about, swinging Jaws around. Jaws gains momentum, flips his feet onto the floor, and throws Raticate across the room. It falls in a heap next to the defeated Golbat.

Houndour howls. It begins to growl at Jaws as it slowly creeps towards him. Jaws pops a popsicle into his maw and readies himself. Houndour starts flaring its nostrils, shooting small flames out. Jaws notices the flames and his eyes get wide. "Uh oh…" I whisper to myself. I remember his first meeting with Cyndaquil. He appeared to be scared of fire. "Maybe that's his type disadvantage," I ponder. "Jaws, it's okay. I won't let anything happen to you. You can do this!"

Houndour shoots a stream of flame at Jaws. Jaws dives, covering his head. He scrambles back on his feet just in time to avoid another stream of fire. Houndour snarls and inches closer, like a predator stalking its prey. Jaws is shaking. I have to help him somehow. "Jaws, you can do this," I encourage. "I believe in you!" Jaws looks at me. My words seem to give him courage. He turns toward the Houndour. "Jaws, barf on it!" Jaws swings his jaw around, opens wide and launches a massive ball of vomit at Houndour. It hits Houndour square in the face, knocking it to the ground. "Yes!"

I cheer. Jaws looks back at me and smiles big. I give him the thumbs up. The Houndour, however, was not down. It got back to its feet and launched a large fireball at Jaws. "Look out!" I shout. Without thinking, I jump in front of Jaws and cover him. The fireball hits me in the back. The flames burns through my jacket and pain shoots through my spine. I cringe, but stay in place. Jaws looks up at me, surprised. "Are you… okay… buddy?"

Jaws glowers, getting angry. He steps back and leaps over me, does a flip in the air, and plows right into Houndour. Houndour crashes into the floor and does not move. Jaws looks back at me as my vision goes blurry. The last thing I see is Morty's Haunter punching Houndoom in the back of the head before I collapse onto the floor.

I awake laying in a soft bed. A dull pain radiates through my back and a headache pounds against my skull. I groan as I try to sit up. Suddenly, Jaws peeks his head above the mattress and looks at me. His eyes go wide and he runs across the room through the door. Moments later, a nurse and Morty walk in, Jaws in tow. The nurse is not the same from earlier. I sit upright and prop myself against my pillows. The nurse checks my vitals, then nods.

"He'll be all right," she says. "I say another night here and then he can go."

Morty sticks his hands in his pockets and nods. "Good," he says calmly.

The nurse smiles at Morty, slightly flushed, then walks out. Morty walks up to my bed. Jaws hops up onto the bed with me and sits.

"You handled yourself well back there," Morty says. "That Mawile of yours is quite the fighter." He looks down at Jaws. "And quite the loyal companion. He hasn't left your side since we brought you here."

"Really…" I look around. "Where is 'here', exactly?"

"You're in the Olivine City Medical Clinic," he states. "You were pretty foolish to jump in front of your Pokémon like that… and pretty brave. You must really care for your Mawile."

I look at Jaws. "He's worth it," I say, smiling. Jaws smiles back.

"Well, don't make it a habit," Morty says with a serious look. "That Houndour was fairly weak, so you only suffered a first-degree burn. Had it been the Houndoom I was fighting and you may not have survived."

I look down. Suddenly, the sheets look very interesting. Morty closes his eyes and smiles. "I take it you don't have much experience in battling."

"No, sir, I'm not a trainer," I say honestly.

Morty looks at me. "That's just fine," he states. "Battling is not for everyone. That Mawile of yours, however…" He trails off.

I look at Jaws. "You obviously know what he is," I say. "What can you tell me about him?"

Morty cocks his head. "He's your companion and you don't know anything about him?"

I chuckle. "Yeah, he just kind of fell into my lap one day."

Morty pats Jaws' head. "Interesting, considering Mawile are not native to Johto," he says. "Well, first of all, Mawile are Steel-type Pokémon native to the Hoenn region. They are not known to evolve. There are hints at having a new secondary type that was previous unknown, but more research needs to be done. Professor Sycamore in the Kalos region has been doing extensive research into this new type." Morty shrugs. "That is the extent of my knowledge."

I ponder this. A Steel-type Pokémon sounds really cool. It does explain his uncanny ability to shrug off many attacks, and his fear of fire. I grin at this. I think I really like this Steel-type.

"Where can I learn more about the Steel-type?" I ask.

Morty chuckles. "Piqued your interest, huh? Well, I do recommend learning more about battling, especially if you're going to be doing any travelling. You also happen to be in the best place to learn about Steel-type Pokémon, for the Olivine Gym here specializes in Steel. I would start there."

I nod. "Thank you, sir."

Morty nods. "You will recover just fine," he says. "The nurse says one more night here and you'll be good to go."

Suddenly, I remember everything that happened back in Ecruteak City. "OH!" I exclaim. "Sir, what exactly happened back in Ecruteak? Who were those people and why were they there?"

Morty furrowed his brow. "Those people," he explains. "were members of Team Rocket. They caused some trouble a couple years back in Kanto. From what Lance told me, they were trying to contact their old leader, Giovanni."

I jump out of bed. I wince from the pain in my back, but make my way to the chair with my backpack on there. Morty watches me with curiosity as I pick up my ruined jacket. I look at the hole singed in the back. The memory of the sharp pain in my spine comes flooding back, causing my knees to buckle slightly. I manage to hold myself up and begin searching the pockets. I find what I am looking for and walk over to Morty.

"I think they were looking for this," I say, handing the disk I pulled from the medical device.

Morty looks at the red R on the black disk. "Where did you get that?" he asks.

"I found it inside one of the medical devices at the Pokémon Center, right before the attack," I explain. "Nurse Erin told me the device had malfunctioned a few days earlier. She really needed it working, so I thought I would take a look. This was found in the flash drive and the machine was tampered with to boot directly from it."

Morty looks grim. "I interrogated the group's leader after I beat him in battle. He told me the medical device was being used to relay the signal from the Radio Tower to the Lake of Rage." Morty ran his fingers through his hair. "I got word from Lance that when he arrived, the Magikarp had stopped responding to the signal, but the Gyarados were still raging. We think that disk provided a code in the signal that was triggering the evolution." He takes the disk from me and places it into his pocket. "I'll turn this into the police immediately."

Morty turns and walks to the door. He stops and looks back at me. "Oh, Lance sends his regards, and says to call your mother."

My mother? Mom! I had forgotten those thugs had taken over the Radio Tower! I nod. "Thank you, sir!"

Morty smirks and waves. Jaws waves back at him with a big smile. I think Jaws likes him. I think I do too.

The rest of the day was a drag. I did not like being cooped up in a hospital room. I took the downtime to call my mother, who was unharmed during the incident. She said the invaders were unusually polite for being criminals. One even asked her for an autograph. I then called Liz and we talked for a couple hours. She told me I need to be more careful and to make it back to Goldenrod in one piece. It turns out, she literally lives next door to me and we never knew it! She said the next time I am home, we are going shopping together. I told her I might be able to use my connections there to get a discount and she got even more excited.

Jaws did not like being cooped up either. He paced the room for about thirty minutes, then did some squats, ate, did some more squats, and took a nap. When he woke up, he watched some television. He was really interested in the Poképuffs Pop Program, starring pop superstar Plucky Princess Pikachu. How a Pikachu learned to cook, let alone get her own television show AND managed to become a pop star, is beyond me, but Jaws looked mesmerized.

At last, morning came and I got my discharge papers. The nurse informs me that the bill had already been paid for by Morty, and that he had left me a gift. I am grateful for his generosity and for taking care of me. I open the package and find a brand new jacket inside. It is an awesome jacket, silver-colored with a brushed aluminum design. A shiny silver patch is sewn onto the left lapel on the jacket. The package includes a note, which reads "I thought you could use a new jacket. That is the Mineral Badge sewn into the lapel. Now go earn the real one. –Morty"

I smile as I put the jacket on. Jaws looks up in awe as it glistens in the light. I look at him and give him the thumbs up. He smiles back. I sling my backpack over my shoulders and step out the clinic doors. I squint in the bright morning sunlight. The familiar smell of the salty ocean breeze is so inviting. I take a deep breath and walk forward. Welcome to Olivine City.


	4. Chapter 4: New Friends, New Enemies

Olivine City is bustling with people and Pokémon. The rumbling sound of conversation, footsteps, luggage carts being pushed around, and various Pokémon chatter fills the air. The sky is clear and the breeze is cool. Despite the agitation of my backpack rubbing against my burn, I feel pretty good. Jaws looks happy as well. Ever since the incident, he has been exceptionally friendly with me, more so than usual. Perhaps I left an impression on him back in Ecruteak.

I find an information stand with maps of the city and various other tourist items. I ask for a map and the guy in the stand hands me one. He tries to sell me some stuff, but I politely refuse. All I want it to find where they sell the boat tickets. As I am looking at the map, my phone starts ringing. I glance at the number. It is Mother.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Crono!" my mother shouts. I pull the phone away from my ear. "Are you out of the hospital yet?!"

"Oh, yeah, sorry," I say half-heartedly. I am still focusing on the map. "I should have called."

"You take care of yourself," she says all mother-like. "I've been worried about you ever since you told me what happened. Why don't you come home until you're better?"

"Moooom," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," she says sternly. I look at the phone. _The heck?_

"I promise, I'm fine," I insist. "It's just a minor burn, nothing serious." However, as I think about how badly damaged my jacket was, my injury should have been worse. Curious…

"Well, just so you know, you can come home anytime," she says with a worried tone.

"I know," I ensure. "I'll come home as soon as Jaws gets home."

"All right," she says, sounding not convinced. "By the way, I didn't know you were involved with that Liz girl next door!"

"Uh, what?" I stammer. "We're not exactly involved…"

"She is quite lovely, isn't she?" Mother rambles. "I was thinking of setting you two up myself, but it looks like that won't be necessary. I think you two make a great couple! I can't wait to see you two together, you'll both look so cute…"

"MOM!" I shout. "That's enough. I gotta go, okay? The boat's about to leave."

"Oh, all right," she says, clearly with a huge stupid grin. "Have a safe trip!"

"Yes, Mother," I say. "I love you."

"I love you too!" she says. "Oh right! Check the Pidgey Post Office. Craig sent something for you when he heard you were in the hospital. I think you'll like it!"

"Oh? I'll check before I go," I say. I wonder what it is.

"Okay! Bye!" She hangs up.

I look back at the map and find the port is just south of the hospital. The Pidgey Post Office is located in the north-west section of the city. I decide it would be best to check the departure times and buy my ticket first, then get the package if there is time. As I wander south toward the port, I noticed a large group gathered. The group encircled two trainers that were locked in battle. I decide to stop and take a look.

Two boys faced off, one with a Scyther, the other with a majestic orange and black bird I have never seen before. I immediately recognize the boy with the Scyther as Bruce. The boy with the bird looks maybe eighteen or nineteen, has short brown hair that was slightly longer in the front, stopping just short of his jade eyes. He wore a leather jacket and denim pants. He stood with his arms crossed, looking confident.

"Scyther, use Slash!" the younger boy shouted, pointing his finger.

The older boy kept his arms crossed. "Talonflame, Flame Charge."

The bird rose into the air, doing a backflip. Scyther leaped into the air, claws drawn. Fire swirled around the bird as it started to spin. It slammed hard into the Scyther, knocking it to the ground. Scyther struggles to its feet, but stays up. The older boy looks surprised.

"Still kicking?" he asks, surprised. "Hmm… we need more training. Talonflame, finish it with Steel Wing!"

Talonflame's wings shimmer as it flaps them hard. Numerous steel-like feathers shoot out, pelting Scyther viciously. Scyther falls to the ground and does not move.

"The hell?!" Bruce shouts angrily. "That's Tauros crap!"

The other boy just smirks. "You should know bugs are weak to fire," he says. "It's common knowledge. Got any more Pokémon?"

Bruce growls as he pulls his Scyther back into its ball. "Man, whatever, that one was pretty weak anyway. Wait until you see my next one!" He pulls out another ball and throws it. "Go, Parasect!"

The other boy looks dumbfounded. "Is this guy for real?" he says to himself.

"Parasect, put that bird to sleep! Spore!" Parasect points its mushroom at Talonflame.

The boy with the Talonflame face-palms. "Is this what it'll be like after I'm Champion?" He sighs. "Flame Charge."

Talonflame flips through the air, then spins rapidly, engulfing itself in flames. It slams into the Parasect before it could shoot off its spores. Parasect drops instantly, unconscious.

Bruce rages. "Damn piece of crap Pokémon!" He runs up to Parasect and kicks it. "Wake up!"

The other boy's eyes go wide. He charges toward Bruce. Bruce looks over, but before he could react, the boy launches his fist into Bruce's face. Blood erupts from Bruce's nose and he hits the ground hard. The boy walks up to Bruce and looks down.

"Don't you DARE touch your Pokémon again," he growls. "I do not tolerate abusive trainers." He kneels beside Parasect and pulls out a salt-rock. He crushes it in his hand and waves it in front of Parasect's face. The Parasect suddenly wakes up. It looks at the boy, then starts to eat the crushed rock. When it finishes, it looks at the boy happily. The boy pats it.

He turns back to Bruce, who was slowly getting back on his feet, holding his nose. "Take your Parasect and get out of here," he says sternly. "And don't let me catch you mistreating your Pokémon again."

Bruce pulls Parasect back into its Pokéball. He glares hard at the boy, then stomps away. He pushes his way through the crowd, dripping blood. As he walks past me, he pauses for a moment, recognizing me. I look back and say "You had it coming." He does not say anything and keeps walking.

As the crowd clears, I approach the boy. He was stroking the feathers of Talonflame. "You did such a good job," he says softly to the bird.

I smile. I watch him for a few more seconds, then I speak. "Thank you," I say.

The boy looks over his shoulder. "For what?"

I point over my shoulder. "That," I say. "He's been needing a good punch to the face for quite some time."

The boy shakes his head. "I don't condone violence," he says, "but when I see an abusive trainer, I lose it. I can't STAND to see Pokémon mistreated."

"Same here," I say, "but I don't think I've ever exploded on anyone like that."

The boy looks back at me. "Hmm, what's your name?"

"I'm Crono," I announce. "And this is Jaws." I pat Jaws on the head.

The boy looks down and smiles. "Nice to meet you, Jaws." He looks at me and extends his hand. "I'm Darius. I'm from Kalos."

"Wow, Kalos?!" I say surprisingly. "You sure are far from home."

Darius smirks. "Well, I just came from Unova looking for awesome Pokémon for my team. I only found one, but decided to challenge the League there."

"Whoa," I say, shocked. "You challenged the Pokémon League?!"

"The Unova League, yeah," Darius says. "I almost became champion too, had it not been for Alder's Druddigon…" He trails off.

I watch him space out, stroking the feathers of his Talonflame. He sounded pretty disappointed at the mention of his loss, but the bird seems to be soothing him. He almost looks like he is completely at peace.

"So what are your plans now?" I ask.

He looks over at me and closes his eyes. "I had planned on going to Hoenn next," he says. "I heard of a Pokémon native there that is said to leave disaster in its wake. I want to find it and make it my own."

I smile. "That's where Jaws and I are headed," I say. "We could always head there together."

Darius smiles back. "I'd like that."

He pulls Talonflame back into his Pokéball. He then looks at Jaws, and then my belt. He furrows his brow. "Where is your Mawile's ball?"

"Huh?" I cock my head. "Oh, right. I actually don't have one for him."

"Wait, what?" Darius looks surprised. "You mean you caught a Pokémon without a ball?"

I laugh. "How do you suppose I do that, with my shirt? No, he kind of chose me on his own."

Darius chuckles. "Yeah, that would be pretty stupid! Let's go get our tickets!"

The three of us walk down toward the pier. As we walked, I ask "So what are your plans after you become Champion?"

Darius stops. "Huh…" he ponders. "I never really thought about that. Hmm…" He thinks on it for a minutes, then finally answer. "I suppose I would teach other trainers how to battle. You know, pass on my knowledge to aspiring would-be Champions." He nods. "Yeah, that is what I will do! I could call it the 'School of Champions'!"

I beam. "That's a great idea!" I say enthusiastically. Then I joke with him, "Perhaps I could be your first student!"

Darius stops. "Do you not know how to battle?"

I stop as well and scratch my head. "Well, no, not exactly, but I'm not really a trainer…"

"Then it is done!" he shouts. "I officially declare you the first student of 'The School of Champions'!"

I stammer. "Wait, I didn't mean… I mean, I was only joking…"

"Come!" Darius puts his arm over my shoulders and we keep walking toward the dock. "Let's get you started! I have a feeling this will be the start of a beautiful friendship!"

I laugh to myself. He was so enthusiastic about his newfound goal in life, I did not want to let him down by telling him I have no interest in battling. I will learn, for his sake, and after the incident in Ecruteak City, I figure it would be a useful skill to have anyway. Besides, I have a feeling he is right; it is the start of a beautiful friendship.

Darius, Jaws, and I walk through the door of the dock house. The place is relatively small, compared to the rest of the city. The wall to our left was lined with windows where people were purchasing tickets, and at the far end of the dock house was a small noodle stand. The place was pretty packed. I looked at the schedule postings and noticed that the next ship leaving for Slateport City in Hoenn departs an hour from now. That should give us enough time to pick up some supplies and get something to eat. I also remember that I need to pick up that package from the Pidgey Post Office. Darius and I get in line for our tickets, but Jaws wanders toward the noodle stand. He watches the lady at the stand cook the noodles, stir the broth, add the toppings, and serve customers. I watch him watch her and could not help notice him drooling a little. I chuckle, and let Darius know I am heading over there. He nods and continues waiting in line. I approach Jaws, who looks up at me, then points to the noodles.

"Are you hungry?" I ask. He nods and rubs his stomach. I smile.

I ask the lady for three bowls of noodles. She whips them up quickly and hands them to me. "That will be six hundred Pokédollars, please."

I hand her the cash and take the bowls. I hand one to Jaws, who receives it with the biggest grin yet. I chuckle and we walk back the line. Darius met us halfway, tickets in hand.

"You owe me two thousand," he says. "Pokémon are free only if they are inside their balls."

I check my wallet. I am running pretty short on cash, with only three thousand left after the tickets. I will have to figure out how to earn some more. I hand Darius the money and take the tickets. He then takes his bowl. "Thanks, buddy! How much do I owe you?"

"Nah, don't worry about it, it was cheap," I say, smiling. We sit at a table and eat our meals.

After we finish, we head out of the dock house. The wind has picked up some, feeling good against my skin. Darius stretches, then looks at me. "We have about an hour before the ship starts boarding," he says. "We have time for some training."

"Hmm, okay," I say. "What did you have in mind?"

"First things first," he says. "How many Pokémon do you have with you?"

I scratch the back of my head and smile awkwardly. "Well, I have three, if you include the two back home…"

Darius' eyes go wide. "So you only have one with you?"

I shrug. "And Jaws technically isn't mine…"

Darius grabs my arm. "Let's go," he says, dragging me along.

"Hey, where are we going?" I shout.

"You need more than just one, especially if that one is not even yours," he says. "So let's go get you a Pokémon of your own."

He pulls me along to the city's main gate. We head out and walk around for a bit. After a few minutes, I spot a Rattata creeping through the grass. "Hey, there's one," I say, pointing.

Darius frowns. "Certainly, there are better ones around here. Keep looking."

After a few more minutes, another Rattata appears. I suspect it is the same one, but who knows. Darius frowns. "All right, it's okay. We can work with this one." He tosses me a Pokéball. "Go catch that. The first thing you want to do is…"

I pull back and throw the ball at the Rattata. I hit it and it gets pulled into the ball. The ball wobbles a couple times, then break apart, releasing the Pokémon. I frown. "That stinks, almost had it."

"Yeeeaaahhh…" Darius says. "You kind of want to weaken it first…" He them mutters under his breath. "Though it is pretty weak already."

"Oh, right," I say. "It's been a while. Jaws, go get it!" Jaws runs off and starts chasing the Rattata. Rattata tries to run away, diving into the taller grass. Jaws dives in after it. I heard the sounds of a tussle, then finally, Jaws emerges, the Rattata clutched within its massive jaw. He walks out proudly, head held high, obviously pleased with himself. He drops the Rattata at my feet. It does not move.

"Good job, Jaws!" I say, patting his head. He does his little excited hop.

"Uh…" Darius stammers. "I think he killed it…"

"Oh." I lean down and closely inspect it. It is still breathing, just unconscious. I grimace. "Sorry, little guy." I pick up Rattata and carry him over to the grass. I place it gently in the grass, then take out an Oran berry and leave it next to the Pokémon, for when it wakes up.

Darius rubs his chin. "I think your Mawile is too strong for the Pokémon in this area," he says. "I have an idea." He grabs a ball from his belt and tosses it to me. I catch it. The ball is blue with yellow stripes. I have not seen this type of ball before.

"That is my Pachirisu," he explains. "It's a small electric rodent. I haven't used her much, so she should be weak enough to not obliterate everything you try to catch."

"Hmm, all right, thanks," I say. I throw the ball and a small blue and white Pokémon with a large fluffy tail pops out. She looks at me, confused.

Darius kneels down. "Hey, Pachi, help Crono out here catching a Pokémon, okay?" Pachirisu squeaks and nods in understanding. Darius stands back up.

"Okay, stick with using Thundershock and you should be good," he says. I nod.

We walk around a bit. Jaws keeps eyeing Pachirisu with looks of envy. I pat him on the head, wordlessly assuring him he is not being replaced. Eventually, we find another Rattata sniffing around a tree. Darius groans, obviously disappointed at the lack of variety in this area. He tosses me another ball. "This time, weaken it first, then throw the ball."

"I got this!" I shout. "Pachi, use Thundershock!"

Pachirisu ran toward the Rattata. Her yellow cheeks began to spark. Small electric bolts shot forth and hit Rattata in the tail. Rattata yelps in surprise and turns toward its attacker. It charges forward and tries to bite Pachirisu. Pachirisu jumps over it, avoiding the attack, then zaps its tail again. Rattata spasms, unable to move.

"Oh, now!" Darius shouts. "Catch it now!"

I hurl the ball at Rattata. It bounces off its face and pulls the creature inside. The ball wobbles a few times, then I hear an audible click. The ball stops moving. Darius walks over and picks it up. "Nice job!" he says and tosses the ball to me. I look at it, fairly pleased with myself.

"All right," Darius says. "Now that you have a Pokémon, let's head back to town and I'll show you a neat trick to get a better one."

I look at Darius, brow furrowed. "You mean I'm not keeping it?" I ask.

"Pfft, no," Darius scoffs. "Rattata is for children. You want a manly Pokémon!"

I shrug. "All right, you're the Champion." I snicker as Darius glares daggers at me.

We head back to town. Darius leads us to the Pokémon Center. In the corner of the center are several computer terminals. Darius walks up to an available terminal and starts tapping away.

"This is the storage system," he says. "You can store all your captured Pokémon here."

"Cool," I say. "How does it work?"

"No idea," Darius admits. "I just use it."

He finishes tapping away and steps back. The terminal buzzes for a few seconds, then chimes, and a small door opens up underneath the keyboard to reveal a Pokéball. Darius takes it and the door closes. He turns to me and holds up the ball. "This is the first Pokémon I caught," he explains. "It's a Pidgey, which I used twice. Then I found a Fletchling, and never went back. Poor little guy has been sitting in storage for a long time. How about we find him a new home?"

I watch as Darius brings up a menu. He clicks a button labeled "Wonder Trade" and another screen pops up. A message reads "Please insert Pokémon for trade." Darius turns to me as the compartment under the keyboard opens up.

"They just installed this feature a couple days ago," he explains. "It's really neat. You put in a Pokémon you don't want into here, and it will find another person doing the same thing and automatically trade with them! You never know what you will get in return, hence the name 'Wonder Trade'. Let's see what I get."

He places the ball inside the compartment and the door shuts. The machine buzzes, whirs, and rattles. Finally, it chimes and the door opens up. A light blue ball with some white detailing on it appears. Darius grabs it and looks at it. "Now the fun part," he says with a grin. He tosses the ball on the floor. It pops open and in a flash of light, a small blue Pokémon with a yellow beak, small body, and ridiculously large head pops out. "Hey, cool! I got a Piplup! Score!"

Darius pats it on the head. "I'm Darius, and I'll be your new trainer," he says happily. "I'm going to help you grow to be big and strong!"

I smile. The Piplup does seem pleased to meet Darius and Darius is clearly ecstatic. I look down at Jaws, who is watching the exchange with piqued interest. Darius finally stands up and turns to me. "Okay, your turn!" he says excitedly.

I approach the terminal. The screen is asking if I would like to conduct another Wonder Trade. I click "Yes" and the compartment opens. I take the Pokéball containing Rattata out of my pocket, look at it for a moment, and then gently place it in the slot. The door closes, the machine makes its noises, and finally, the final chime rings out. The door opens and a Pokéball is revealed. Darius looks over my shoulder with great interest.

"Come on, dude," he says enthusiastically. "Let's see what you got!"

"All right, here it goes." I take a deep breath and toss the ball. In a flash of light, the ball pops open and reveals…

"What the heck?" Darius exclaims.

The Pokémon was yellow with blue stripes. Its tail was cone-shaped and looked too big for its body. It had two eyes that looked closed, with no signs of a mouth, and two little appendages on its back that looked like really small, pathetic-looking wings. It was a strange sight.

"The crap is that?!" Darius exclaims again.

I kneel down next to it and look down. "Um… hello," I say, unsure of what the heck this thing was. The blue and yellow pattern on its face splits to reveal a mouth as it makes some kind of clicking noise. It is kind of ugly, but in a cute sort of way.

Darius sticks his tongue out. "Ew, throw it back," he says.

"Aww," I say. The creature nuzzles my hand. "I kind of like him!"

"It's weird," Darius blurts.

I just shrug. I pick up the creature and hold it in front of me. "Aww, it's unique!" I say. The creature makes a face that I will just assume is a smile. "I'm keeping him."

Darius raises an eyebrow. "Suit yourself."

I put the Pokémon back in its ball. Then I turn to Darius. "I have a package at the Pidgey Post Office," I state. "I'll pick that up, then we'll go get on our ship."

We head out and walk across the city to the Pidgey Post Office. I approach the counter and request for my package. After some rummaging, the clerk finds my package and hands it to me. We go outside, then I tear it open and find an envelope alongside a Great Ball. Darius peers over my shoulder as I open the envelope.

"Dear Crono," the letter reads. "I am glad you are well. Please stay safe and try not to get hurt anymore. Craig said he wanted you to have this gift."

"A Great Ball?" Darius chimes in. "Big spender, this guy."

I ignore him and keep reading. "He said he was depressed and not working as well as usual. I think he missed you. Also, I got my first paycheck, so here's some money to keep you going. I'll send you some money every now and then, just call me once in a while. Take care, my grown man."

I groan, but appreciate the sentiment. I also appreciated the ten thousand she sent me, which will definitely help with supplies. As for the Great Ball, there is no way it is what I think it is. I inspect it closely, and notice a couple small dents in it. No way, did he really?

Darius watches me closely. "So what do you plan on doing with that?" he asks.

I smile, knowing what is inside. "This!" I shout and throw the ball to the floor. The ball pops open and a bright flash of light bursts out. When the light clears, right before me, stands Brawny. He flexes his arms and smiles big at me.

"Brawny!" The big lug charges me and scoops me up in a monstrous hug. I feel the pain in my back from the burn, but I grit my teeth and bear with it. "I can't believe you're here!"

Brawny drops me and flexes his arms. "Ma-CHOKE!" he cries happily.

Suddenly, Brawny begins to shudder. I step back and almost trip over Jaws, who was hiding behind my legs. Darius steps back too as Brawny's skin starts to ripple. The thick red veins on his arms begin to vanish as Brawny flexes even harder. His muscles bulge and grow. Two large lumps appear above his shoulders. Brawny closes his eyes, face wrenched in what looks like pain. The lumps grow larger, when finally, two more arms sprout forth. Brawny roars and flexes all four arms and stomps the ground. "MA-CHAMP!" he bellows.

I stand in awe. Brawny just changed before my eyes and he looks bigger and stronger than ever. Jaws gapes in awe at the mighty Pokémon standing before us. The new Machamp looks at me, grinning a mighty grin as he stretches his newly grown arms. A smile spreads across my face as I rush up to him and embrace him. He wraps all four arms around me, picking me up off the ground. "I missed you, buddy," I say.

"Ma-Champ!" Brawny says.

Darius just stands there, standing in awe. "Now THAT is a manly Pokémon…"

Being reunited with Brawny is the happiest moment in my life. I have known him for over a year and to find out he missed me as much as I missed him makes me shed a manly tear. I owe Craig big, for I do not know how he convinced the store manager to let Brawny go. I stare at his Great Ball as I pull him in, my thumb tracing the dents on it as I drift along Memory Lane. Brawny was the biggest and strongest Machoke at the Goldenrod Department Store. When I started working there over a year ago, he had been captured only a week prior and was still in training. He was capable of doing the same workload as two other Machokes combined, but he was also much more aggressive. Craig was considering releasing him because he was resisting the training and it was taking much longer than the other Machokes. I offered to help, and somehow, I managed to get him to settle down. His aggressiveness waned, he became much friendlier and much more helpful. Once his training was complete, productivity soared in the basement. That was when I learned to understand the Machokes, particularly Brawny. For the most part, the Machokes did not have much to say, but Brawny was especially chatty, for a Pokémon. Craig told me when Brawny was captured, he had given them the most trouble. He knocked out their Hypno, which should have made the fight easy, and they went through two more Pokémon before finally weakening him enough for capture. Even then, he punched the Great Ball away, leaving the dents that are in his ball now.

"Yo, Earth to Crono!" Darius shouted, snapping me out of my haze. "The boat leaves soon!"

"Ah, right," I say. I grip Brawny's ball tightly, then place it in my jacket pocket, alongside my newly acquired Dunsparce. The three of us head to the dock, where a long line of people are waiting to board a non-existent ship. I check the time on my Pokégear and noticed it is close to departure time. I guess the ship is running a little behind.

"Hey dude," Darius says, gently elbowing me. "Check her out."

"Huh?" I look in the direction he is looking. A couple people ahead of us is a skinny young woman dressed in blue. She wore a blue and white striped tank top, tattered grey shorts, thigh-high blue and white striped stockings, and a black bandana. "She looks like a pirate."

"Nah," Darius snorts. "She's a pirate's worst nightmare. She has a sunken chest with no booty!"

"Hey, that's mean," I say, chuckling.

We stand in silence for a minute, then I say "Have you seen the new pirate movie? It is rated RRRRRRRR!" We both laugh.

After several minutes of cracking cheesy pirate jokes, a woman in a pristine white uniform walks up to the crowd, followed by two men in black suits. She clears her throat and speaks in a loud, authoritative voice. "I am Captain Diaz. I regret to inform you that the trip to Slateport City has been cancelled." The crowd grumbles, and some random guy boos her. "We are having serious engine trouble with both of our international ships. It will be several weeks before the engines will be repaired, so all departures until then have been cancelled."

The crowd begins to grumble louder. The people get restless and start verbally expressing their irritation towards the Captain, some people even spitting some very uncouth language. The Captain furrows her brow and clears her voice again.

"SILENCE!" she bellows. The crowd quiets down. "I understand many of you are upset. We have our best mechanics working on repairs as we speak, but it takes time. I have already coordinated to have each of your tickets refunded. Please head to the dock house in an orderly fashion to receive your refund."

The crowd starts grumbling again. Darius frowns. "That's a bummer," he says, arms crossed.

I look around and notice Pirate Girl is missing. I look back at Captain Diaz, who was currently talking to the black suits. I look down at Jaws, who is looking at Captain Diaz intently. I pat his head, and he looks up at me. I nod, then nudge Darius.

"Hey, something's fishy here," I tell him.

Darius looks at me. "What do you mean?"

I direct his attention to the Captain. "Why would the Captain herself come out to make that announcement?" I suggest. "That kind of thing is typically handled by someone at the dock house. Also, what are the chances of BOTH ships being out of commission, at the same time?" I frown. "This reeks of sabotage."

"What makes you say sabotage?" Darius asks.

I watch the Captain intently. "Back in Ecruteak City, I had an encounter with a group of mysterious thugs known as Team Rocket. Supposedly, they caused quite some trouble a couple years ago in Kanto, then a couple days ago, they attacked the Ecruteak Pokémon Center. I wonder if they are involved with this…"

We head to the dock house to get our refund. As we walk there, I notice something familiar about the men in black suits. On their lapels, they had little red R pins. My eyes widen. "Hey, wait a minute…" I try to move toward them, but the crowd thickens as they rush to the dock house. I try to push my way through, but the crowd pushes back. Finally, I emerge from the crowd, but when I get through, the Captain and the men are gone. I narrow my eyes, looking around for them. Suddenly, a hand grabs my collar and I am pulled back into the crowd.

"Come on, dude," Darius says. "I don't want to wait all day for my refund!" I take a deep breath, then we head to the dock house.

After an hour of waiting in line, we finally get our tickets refunded. Darius leans against the wall and starts spinning a Pokéball on his finger. Jaws starts running laps around the benches. I sit, my mind wandering. I think about how we will get to Hoenn, about the attack in Ecruteak City, the black suits with the Captain, Liz, going back home...

"So what are we going to do now?" Darius asks.

Jaws finishes his laps and stops in front of me, panting. I pat him on the head and toss him a Sitrus berry. "I'm not sure now," I say. "I'm not sure how we can get to Hoenn with the ships out of commission."

Darius pops his spinning ball into the air and captures it. "Well, what do you say we go to Sinnoh?" he suggests. "It's up north, we can get there by land..."

"No!" I interrupt. "We are NOT going to Sinnoh."

"Dude, here me out," Darius implores.

"Okay, then," I insist. "I am not going to Sinnoh. Ever."

Darius furrows his brow angrily. "What's your problem?"

I take a deep breath. It has been ages since I thought about it. Remembering it makes me angry, but I remain calm. I do not like talking about it, but I suppose he should know why I refuse to go to Sinnoh. Jaws looks at me, obviously worried. I pat his head and speak.

"There was a war about twelve years ago," I begin. "A war between Sinnoh and Kanto."

"Oh yeah," Darius says. "I read about that."

"Kanto was hit pretty hard," I continue. "The Sinnoh government saw Kanto as a bunch of heathens who had turned their back on their god and was creating abominations through genetic experimentation. Kanto was filled with Pokémon they considered 'artificial' and 'unnatural'. They threatened action if the Kanto government did not cease in their experiments. Kanto, of course, refused. That's when war broke out…"

Darius sat down next to me. Jaws sat on the floor, listening intently.

"The Sinnoh army came through the mountains," I say. "They attacked Cerulean City, crushing it between their might. They were headed for the Kanto capitol of Saffron, where the research company Silph, Co. resided. They demanded for Kanto's surrender or Saffron would be leveled. That is when we came in…"

I closed my eyes, forcing back tears. The memory of it all hit me hard. The pain, the sorrow, the devastation. So many lives lost in that war, both man and Pokémon alike. I take a deep breath and continue. "The Johto government was close with Sinnoh. We followed similar beliefs. The Johto government implored Sinnoh to cease its actions, that this was not the way to go about it. The war went against Sinnoh's core beliefs, but they insisted it was for the sake of all Pokémon created by their god, Arceus."

"That name…" Darius says. "I read about that as well. Sinnoh legend says Arceus hatched from an egg that came from the void, before anything existed. It created the entire universe, they say, both humans and Pokémon."

I nod. "That is what the legends say," I confirm. "Sinnoh was wrong about Kanto, and wrong about us. They thought because we share similar beliefs, that we would help them. The Johto government insisted that if they did not halt their attack, we would step in and help defend Kanto. My father…" I choke up. "… he fought and died in that war. The Sinnoh government killed my father over their stupid religion, and I will never forgive them!" I slam my fist into the bench.

"Oh wow…" Darius sympathizes. "I'm sorry, man."

"That is why Johto and Kanto share the Indigo League," I say. "We created it together to symbolize our unity. Never again will we be tyrannized. Never again will we be oppressed. Our league here is the best, and our Champion is the best. Other regions can have their own leagues and train all they want. They will NEVER beat us."

Darius looks at the ground solemnly. Jaws pulls at my shorts, trying to cheer me up. I pat his head, trying with all my might to hold back the tears. The memory of seeing my mother at the table, crying into a tear-soaked letter from the military. I was six years old at the time. When I asked what was wrong, she sat me down and told me that my father would not be coming home. I was six at the time, and it was hard for me to understand, but I knew that it meant he was dead. I just could not understand why. Why did he have to die? Why did Sinnoh hate us so much? It was too much for my six-year-old mind to bear. I shut myself out from my friends, staying home to help my mother as much as possible. My mother would sometimes look at me, then start crying out of nowhere. She would always tell me how much I look like my father. When I was old enough to participate in the Pokémon League and got my own Pokémon, I tried to partake, but the violence of it all just reminded me of that war and my father's death. I could not bring myself to inflict that kind of pain on anyone. That is why I quit.

"Hey," Darius says after a long silence. "That war was fought with Pokémon. If you don't mind me asking, what Pokémon did your father use?"

I stare off into the distance. As the memories flow through my mind, I subconsciously pull out Brawny's ball. I look down at it and run my thumb over the dents. Darius looks down at the ball and his eyes go wide. "No way…"

I nod. "Yeah, he used…" I say. "…a Machamp."

Darius does not say anything, solemn after hearing my story. I continue to stare at Brawny's ball, the tragic memories lingering at the front of my mind. Even Jaws remains still, just looking at me with a worried face. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Darius breaks the silence. "So I take it you grew up with a Machamp?"

I nod my head. "That Machamp lived with us since I was two," I explain. "I don't remember much back then, but I remember Dad teaching it to hug me every night before bed. Machamp was so strong, Mother was worried it would crush me, but Dad wasn't. He wanted Machamp to be a family Pokémon after he got out of the military. I looked up to Dad. He was my hero." I smile as I grip Brawny's ball tightly. "I promise to take good care of you, Brawny. For Dad."

Darius places a hand on my shoulder. I look back at him and stand up. "So, we can still make it to Hoenn," I say.

"How?" Darius asks. "Both the ships are out of commission."

I grin. "We go home. To Goldenrod City. The Johto and Kanto governments worked together to install a rail system that goes between the two regions. Before, you had to travel around the base of Mt. Silver to cross over. However, that was not very practical because the wild Pokémon in the area are really dangerous. So now we have a rail system!"

Darius raises an eyebrow. "Okay, but that doesn't get us to Hoenn," he says, skeptical.

I continue. "The rail system will take us from Goldenrod City to Saffron City. From there, we can head south to Vermillion City and hop on a ship there!"

"Huh!" Darius says, surprised. "Well, Kanto was next on my list anyway. Let's go!"

We walk out of the dock house. The crowds of people have dispersed. I guess since nobody can go anywhere, they went to find alternate methods of transportation. I turn to head toward the gate, but Jaws pulls on my shorts. I look and he is pointing at Darius, who has stopped to stare at the ocean. I walk over to him. "What's up?"

"How far is Goldenrod from here?" he asks.

"Um… I'm not sure," I respond. "but it took us nearly a week to get here, so we need to get going."

Darius ponders this for a moment, then pulls out a map. He looks it over, nods, then puts it away. "Yeah, we can make it."

"Of course we'll make it," I say. "but we need to leave now if we're going to get to Ecruteak before dark."

Darius shakes his head. "Oh no, we're not walking," he says arrogantly.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, annoyed.

"See, normally, I would fly on my Talonflame," Darius explains with a smirk. "But as strong as she is, she can only fly one person. However…" He pulls out a Dive Ball and tosses it in the air. The ball pops open and a beautiful blue Pokémon with a large grey shell pops out. "I have a Lapras! She's strong enough to ferry the two of us there!"

Lapras lets out a siren-like cry. I admire the shimmering hide of the water Pokémon, but I am not convinced. I gesture toward Jaws. "I think you're forgetting someone," I say.

Darius looks at me, confused. "Who? It's just us… oh." Darius looks at Jaws, clearly remembering that he does not have a ball. "Well, you're just going to have to get him one."

I look at Jaws, who looks up at me. "That's up to him," I say. "I'm not forcing him inside one if he doesn't want to be. Remember, he's not mine."

Darius grumbles something that sounded awfully like "Just stuff him in one anyway," but I pretend not to hear it. I kneel down and look Jaws in the eyes. "Hey buddy," I say, patting him on the head. "Would you be okay being inside a Pokéball for a while? Just until we get home, then you can come back out."

Jaws looks at me and does his little hop routine. I look up at Darius and shrug. "He seems to be okay with it."

"Good," Darius says. "I really didn't want to walk. So, you have two options; we go to the Pokémart and buy him a cheap Pokéball, which I recommend since it will only be for a short while, or we can hit up the Olivine Market and find some custom Pokéballs, which will end up being more expensive, but they have some unique qualities. Your choice."

I rub my chin (hey, I am finally getting some stubble!) and ponder it. "Let's hit the Olivine Market," I say. "If he's going to be stuck inside one for a while, might as well make him comfortable."

We head toward the Olivine Market, where several stands filled with goods line the dock. From Pokédolls to exotic berries, the Olivine Market had all sorts of unique items for every trainer's needs. Jaws' eyes widen when we pass a food tent filled with the aroma of delicious eats. Even I start to drool a little when the scents hit my nostrils. Darius points ahead of us at a stand with a sign that reads "Custom Pokéballs". We head over and are greeted by an elderly man.

"Good afternoon!" he bellows. "Welcome to the Pokéball Emporium! My name is Kurt and I made custom Pokéballs!"

Darius waves. "Good afternoon, sir," he says. "My friend here needs a good Pokéball for his Mawile here."

Kurt looks curiously over the stand at Jaws. "Hmm…" he says. "Quite the unusual creature. Not one you see in these parts, that's for sure."

"He's from Hoenn," I explain. "I would like to get him a good comfortable ball for traveling. What do you recommend?"

Kurt studies me over. "Hmm…" he ponders. "We have many to choose from. For him, I would recommend a Quick Ball or a Heal Ball, or, if you have any pink apricorns, I could craft you a Love Ball. We are also having a promotion! Buy any ten Pokéballs and you get a special Premier Ball free!"

Darius furrows his brow. "What's so special about it?" he asks.

Kurt leans over the counter and looks Darius right in the eye. "It sparkles."

I snicker when I see the look on Darius' face. Kurt leans back and looks back at me. "So which will it be, son?"

I look over his selection of balls. There were so many to choose from. I am not even sure how a Pokéball works. What is it like inside for them? Do the different balls perform differently or are they just purely for aesthetics? I shake my head in confusion. "I don't know," I say. Then I have an idea. "Hey Jaws, you're the one that has to go inside. Which one do YOU want?"

I pick him up and he looks at all the balls. After a moment, he points to one on a shelf behind Kurt. It is a black ball with a red circle on top and gold trim. It is in a glass case and quite shiny. I point to it and ask "How much for that one?"

"Hmm?" Kurt looks behind him. "Oh that?" He shakes his head. "That one is out of your price range. How about one of these up front? They are more appropriately priced for children."

I furrow my brow at the children comment, but let it go. "How much?" I ask again.

Kurt leans forward and looks me square in the eye. "Ten thousand."

I look at the ball grimly. Ten thousand is practically everything I have. I really did not want to spend my entire wallet on a single Pokéball, especially when a regular ball runs only two hundred. As I ponder this, Darius chimes in. "That's a ripoff!" he shouts. "What makes it so expensive?! And DON'T say it's because it sparkles!"

Kurt looks sternly at us. "Young man, you don't know how a Pokéball works, do you?"

"Of course I do," Darius says confidently.

"Then by all means, explain it to me," Kurt says.

"Uh, well…" Darius stammers.

"Hmph," Kurt says. "Kids these days. Allow the Pokéball Master teach you a thing or two. A Pokéball is a device that converts living biological matter into energy. While in the energy state, Pokémon are put into a dream-like stasis. When it makes contact with a Pokémon, the ball opens, converts the creature into energy, and pulls that energy inside. It takes three seconds for the ball to induce the stasis and create a proper seal to prevent escape. During that time, the Pokémon has a chance to get free, which is it must be weakened first. Exceptionally strong Pokémon can resist the energy conversion and break free. That is where many of these specialty balls come into play. For example…" Kurt holds up a blue ball. "…this one is designed for capturing Water-types, and this one…" He holds up a grey ball with blue nubs. "…this one is for exceptionally heavy Pokémon, since they have more matter to convert. Once the ball makes the seal and the Pokémon slumbers, the ball induces dreams that make the Pokémon believe it is somewhere comfortable, such as a natural habitat. The better the ball, the more realistic and more comfortable the dream. That ball you have asked about is the best of the best. That ball will make your Pokémon believe it belongs to a millionaire trainer with the most fanciful luxuries imaginable. It uses the best technology available, and therefore, it is expensive. Does THAT answer your question, son?" He looks at Darius as he says that last sentence.

I contemplate the decision before me. I look down at Jaws, who just patiently stares back. I do not know how long he will have to be cooped up in there. I reach for my wallet, open it, and look inside. I look back at Jaws and smile. I take out the money and hand it to Kurt. "I'll take it."

Kurt furrows his brow. He looks at me for a moment, then slowly takes the money. He reaches up, gently retrieves the ball, and hands it to me. I take it, holding it in my palm, then thank Kurt. I kneel down and hold it in front of Jaws. He looks at the ball and smiles. Darius looks at me, bewildered. "Seriously dude?" he asks.

I simply smile and say "He's worth it."


	5. Chapter 5: Across the Sea

The ocean waves wash against the bank as a gentle breeze blows across the water. Darius watches, appearing to be assessing whether it would be safe to travel. The sky is mostly clear, with some small clouds near the horizon. Darius nods to himself, then pulls out a map. As he studies the map, Jaws peers over the edge, watching the Tentacool drift around in the waves. I sit with him, holding his new Luxury Ball in my hand. The ball is shiny and new, and very expensive. A small part of me regrets spending all my money on it, but when I look at Jaws, playing so carefree with the floating Tentacool, I remember how he is worth it. When I think about it, the color scheme kind of matches him too. That makes me smile.

"All right," Darius says, folding up the map. "If we head south-east from here, we can get to Goldenrod City before sundown. Another option, if you like, is we can visit the Whirl Islands. I hear it's the home to a legendary Pokémon."

As I am looking at the ball, I noticed my reflection, and remember something Morty told me. I reach up and gently touch the Mineral Badge emblem on my lapel. "Actually, there's something I'd like to do before we go," I say to Darius.

Darius looks back at me. "Hmm? What do you want to do?"

I put the Luxury ball into my pocket. "I'd like to head to the gym here and learn about Steel-types," I say. "Jaws is of the Steel-type, so if I learn more about it, I can learn how to better protect him."

Darius ponders this a moment, then nods. "Okay," he says. "As your teacher, I approve."

I chuckle, then motion Jaws to follow me. He looks at me, a Tentacool hanging out of his massive jaw. He spits it back into the ocean and trots alongside me. As we make our way toward the gym, I notice a figure dart behind the dock house in a blue blur. I sprint ahead, much to the surprise of Darius and Jaws, and dash behind the dock house. There, I see Pirate Girl from earlier, holding a black and yellow Ultra Ball. She looks over at me, a scowl on her otherwise cute face.

"Why are you following me?" she demands.

"I'm sorry," I say. "I thought you were someone else."

Just then, Darius and Jaws arrive. "What was that all… hey, it's her," Darius says, recognizing Pirate Girl from earlier.

Pirate Girl glares at the two of us. "Oh, I remember you two," she says. "You think I didn't hear all your stupid pirate jokes?" She tosses her ball on the ground. The ball pops open and in a brilliant flash, a sweet melody envelopes us as a majestic shiny blue bird rises to the sky. Its icy-blue feathers shimmer in the sunlight as its long tail gracefully trails behind it. I have never seen any such Pokémon before. It looks angelic.

Darius stares in awe. "No way…" he says, dumbfounded. "I… can't believe it!"

The bird flaps its wings gently as it slowly lands on the ground. Pirate Girl leaps onto its back. "I don't know why you are following me," she says, "but stay out of my way. I have a very important mission and I will not be stopped by anyone!"

"That is… no way… how did you get one?!" Darius stammers.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," I apologize. "We weren't following you. I thought you were someone else."

"Just stay out of my way," she growls, "or our next meeting will be your last. And you!" She points to Darius. "Stop gawking at me. Men…" With that, she takes off into the sky, flying toward the horizon.

I look over at Darius, who's jaw was still on the ground. "Dude… you're drooling."

Darius wipes his mouth, eyes still on Pirate Girl. "Do you know what that was?!" he shouts. As Pirate Girl disappears, he turns to me, fists balled up, looking extremely excited. "That was an Articuno! I've heard about them, but I've never actually seen one! Only a few supposedly exist world-wide! How did she end up with one?! Oh man, I am so jealous!"

I raise an eyebrow. "And here, I thought you were drooling over the girl…" I mutter. "That was a beautiful bird, but there is something fishy about her. I wonder if she's related to this Team Rocket at all?"

After Darius collects the pieces of his blown mind, we continue our way toward the Olivine Gym. The entire time, Darius would not stop yammering on about Pirate Girl's Articuno. At last, after what felt like several hours, but was probably only a couple minutes, we finally arrive at the gym. The building was solid steel, rising several stories above us. Few windows existed, and the Mineral Badge emblem towered over the main entrance. We enter the doors, and find the interior to be one massive room, laid out arena-style. Darius looks around, surveying the area.

"All right, bud," he says. "First lesson; whenever you are about to enter battle, always check out the surrounding area. Make sure you know where obstacles are that can interfere with your battle. It could mean the difference between who gets an advantage. Most gyms are set up to give the gym leader an advantage, but this one seems to be pretty level."

I nod. The area did seem pretty wide and flat; however, I realize that could be an advantage in itself, depending on her strategy. I decide to keep my guard up, just in case.

"So, Steel-types are typically pretty tough defensively," Darius continues. "They have many resistances, with only three weaknesses. They are also immune to Poison, but I don't think you need to worry about that."

"Immunity to Poison is good to know," I say. "Back in Ecruteak, that Team Rocket guy threatened to flood the Pokémon Center with toxic gas from a Koffing. Now that I know Jaws is immune, I can use that to our advantage."

Darius stopped momentarily. "That… is actually a good point," he says. "Hey, I'm supposed to be the teacher here!"

"Heh, you are," I say. "I'm learning a lot from you."

"Good," Darius says. "The biggest thing you need to worry about when using Steel are Fire-types. Bad juju for Steel. Fighting and Ground types are good against Steel as well. Your Machamp would actually dominate this gym."

I nod. "I'll save him for later, though," I say. "Best to learn how to combat them without a type advantage, just in case, right?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Darius agrees. "Water is a great type to use against Steel without having an offensive advantage. Water resists Steel, are typically special moves, and Steel tends to have high physical defense. Ah… but you don't have any Water-types, do you?"

I shake my head. "I'll try using my new Dunsparce first. See how that goes."

"Ah… yeah..." Darius mutters. "Good luck with that."

We notice an attractive young lady with long brown hair standing at the side opposite of the entrance. She was surrounded by two steel-looking orbs with magnets and bolts attached to them that I recognized as Magnemites. She was holding a Pokéball in her hand. She notices us and smiles. "Good afternoon," she greets us warmly. "Are you here to challenge me?"

I nod. "Yes, ma'am," I say, "but mostly, I am here to learn about Steel-types. Will you teach me?"

The young woman nods. "I would be happy to," she says. "My name is Jasmine, the gym leader of the Olivine Gym. I specialize in the Steel-type and would be happy to show you how tough they are. I was in the process of training myself, so in exchange for teaching you, you can help me train."

I nod. "Agreed!"

Jasmine bows slightly. "Very well, we will start with Magnemite." She tosses the ball in her hand and a Magnemite pops out, buzzing at me.

"You sure have a lot of Magnemites," I say. "It is your favorite Pokémon?"

Jasmine shakes her head. "I like them a lot, but they're not my favorite," she says. "If you're good enough, you'll get to see my favorite."

I reach into my pocket and pull out Dunsparce's ball. I grip it tightly and look at Jasmine. "Then I shall see it today! Go Dunsparce!"

I toss the ball in the air and Dunsparce pops out. It lays on the ground, looking at Magnemite vapidly. Darius nudges me. "Are you sure you want to use that thing?" he asks.

I nod. "I'm sure."

Darius shrugs. "Okay," he says, resigned. "Well, Magnemite is Electric and Steel. Be careful of its electric attacks, which can paralyze."

Jasmine bows again. "Let the battle begin," she says. "Magnemite, use Thundershock!"

Magnemite flies toward Dunsparce, its magnets sparking. Dunsparce just stares at Magnemite, flapping its tiny wings.

"Dunsparce," I say. "Watch out!"

As lightning shoots out from Magnemite, Dunsparce uses its tail to burrow into the floor. The lightning hits the floor around the hole, missing Dunsparce.

"Huh, it can dig," Darius says, surprised. "Well, that's an advantage! Hey, I think I see your plan now, Crono. You're using this as an opportunity to learn what your new Pokémon can do."

I nod. "I don't know much about them. If I'm to help protect them, I need to know what they can do. Now I know Dunsparce can dig, I can use it to formulate a strategy."

"Well, it can use it to avoid Magnemite's attacks," Darius affirms, "but Magnemite levitate. Ground moves won't work against it."

Dunsparce erupts from the floor beneath Magnemite, but Magnemite avoids the attack. It turns around and faces Dunsparce, ready to attack.

"Sonic Boom." Jasmine says. Magnemite spins rapidly, breaking the sound barrier. A loud boom echoes through the gym and Dunsparce gets hits by an invisible force. He bounces a couple times, but flops back onto his belly. Magnemite flies toward Dunsparce fast.

"Dunsparce, protect yourself!" I shout. Dunsparce curls up into a ball. Magnemite rams into Dunsparce, but bounces off. "Good job! Now attack!"

Dunsparce stays in his ball and rolls at Magnemite. He slams into the Steel Pokémon hard. Magnemite gets knocked back a little, but holds its ground. Dunsparce turns sharply and rolls again toward Magnemite.

"Use Thundershock again." Jasmine says calmly. Magnemite shoots lightning at Dunsparce, who gets hit. Dunpsarce uncurls and flops on the ground, spasming.

"Uh oh…" Darius says, worried. "It looks like it might be paralyzed."

Dunsparce tries to move, but every inch he moves results in more muscle spasms. Magnemite hovers over Dunsparce, ready to attack.

"Magnemite, now use… huh?" Jasmine gasps. Magnemite is suddenly joined by the other two Magnemites. The three start interacting with each other, buzzing and sparking. They start to rotate around each other, almost like electrons around an atom.

"Hey, you can't use three Pokémon at once!" Darius shouts angrily.

"I'm not," Jasmine says. "I think it's time!"

"Huh?" I watch curiously as bolts of lightning start to chain between the three. They spark violently, before finally slamming into each other, seemingly pulled together by the lightning bolts. A loud metallic bang echoes through the gym and they explode in a shower of sparks. When the sparks clear, the three Magnemites are bonded together.

"Oh wow," I say. "They evolved into Magneton."

Darius nudges me again. "Dude, this is not good," he says. "Things are about to get dangerous."

I take a deep breath and clench my fists. "I know."

Dunsparce appears to be in some serious trouble. Not only does he appear to be paralyzed, but now his opponent is three times as powerful. This looks bad. There must be a way to help Dunsparce. I lean over to Darius and whisper, "What are the rules about withdrawing a Pokémon early?"

Darius shakes his head. "No rules against it," he says, "but I rarely see people actually do it."

I nod and grip Dunsparce's ball tightly. "Then return, Dunsparce!" A beam shoots out and collects Dunsparce.

Jasmine cocks her head. "Hmm? Are you resigning?"

I shake my head. "No, just strategizing," I say. "Jaws, you're in. Go!"

Jaws runs past me, a big stupid grin on his face. _That guy sure loves battling,_ I think to myself. As Jaws runs in, Magneton's magnets begin to spin. It starts to strafe around Jaws as it shoots lightning at him. Jaws dodges side to side, avoiding the lightning that rains around him. "Jaws, use… er… Brick Break!" I say, trying to remember the name of that move he used against Whitney's Miltank.

Jaws leaps at Magneton, his massive jaw and both fists flying toward his opponent. Magneton gets hit hard and falls toward the ground. It bounces a couple times, each Magnemite going their separate ways, but the strong magnetic bond pulls them back together. Their bodies clang loudly against each other and Magneton is back in the air.

Jasmine smiles sweetly as she points her finger. "Tri-Attack!"

All magnets on Magneton begin to spin rapidly. Each eye zero in on Jaws as their respective magnets begin to glow. One glows yellow, another glows blue, and the last glows red. First, the yellow fires, zapping Jaws. He gets stunned, spasming as he gets electrocuted. The blue beam fires second, encasing Jaws in a block of ice. Finally, the red beam fires, shattering the ice and engulfing him in flames. His body is rocked with a small explosion as the ice evaporates instantly, knocking Jaws back. He hits the floor, rolls, and jumps back to his feet. He shakes himself, as if to shake off the attack. He takes a defensive stance and eats a slice of pizza, glowing slightly.

Jasmine cocks her head again. "What an unusual Pokémon," she quips. "What type is it?"

"I'll tell you after he wins," I say overconfidently. I instantly regret sounding so cocky and mentally slap myself. I do not know why I dropped my modesty. Heat of the moment, perhaps.

"He kind of looks like a plant," she says calmly, as if my snippy remark never occurred. "I would guess Grass-type. Hit is with Flash Cannon, Magneton!"

A bright flash erupts from Magneton. I shield my eyes from the bright light. As I try to see what is going on, I notice a silvery beam flying toward Jaws. He spins around, using his massive jaw to block the beam, then spins around and dashes toward Magneton. I lower my hand from my eyes and shout "Good job! Use Brick Break again and finish it!"

Jaws slams into Magneton and the Steel Pokémon flies apart. Each piece hit the ground and a distorted buzzing sound emits from them. Jasmine frowns sadly as she recalls them into a single Pokéball.

I cheer. "Way to go, Jaws!" I kneel down and he runs at me, leaping into my arms. I hug him tightly and toss him a Sitrus Berry. He eats it happily.

Jasmine smiles at me. "Good job!" she says. "Now I REALLY have to try. Are you ready?"

I stand up, Jaws at my side, and nod. "We're ready."

Jasmine tosses a Heavy Ball into the air. "Here she comes!" The ball bursts open and I am engulfed in a massive shadow. The entire building shudders as the Pokémon hits the ground. An enormous Pokémon before us, at least thirty feet long, glistens in the light, her body clearly made of steel. Her head was large with a wide intimidating jaw, and her tail ended with a large sharp spike. "Steelix…" I say in awe.

Jaws steps forward, but my put my hand out to stop him. "No, bud," I say. "I have another plan."

Darius leans over to me and whispers, "I think now's the time."

I nod, acknowledging that we both had the same idea. It is time to see what he can do. I reach into my pocket and pull out the dented Great Ball. I hurl it into the arena. "Go Brawny!"

Brawny launches forth from his ball, arms outstretched. "Ma-CHAMP!"

"Brawny!" I say. He looks back at me. "Show me what you can do, buddy!" He flashes me a grin, pounding one of his upper fists into the other upper hand as his lower right hand gives me the thumbs up, and turns back to Steelix.

Steelix rises up, towering over Brawny. Brawny looks up, watching her move. "Steelix," Jasmine says softly. "Slam."

Steelix drops herself hard toward Brawny. Brawny dives out of the way, combat rolling to the side. Steelix hits the ground, cracking the floor. She then slithers around Brawny. "Bind him, Steelix."

Steelix circles Brawny and coils around him. Brawny gets caught in her grip, his lower arms trapped by Steelix's long body. Steelix squeezes hard. Brawny grits his teeth and struggles against her grip, trying to push his way out.

"Steelix, now use Crunch," Jasmine says. Steelix opens her massive maw and moves down to bite into Brawny. Brawny uses his two upper arms and pushes himself out of Steelix's grip, launching himself up before Steelix could bite down. Brawny lands on Steelix's head and begins pounding his fists hard into her skull. She gets beaten down until her head is just inches off the ground. Finally, Brawny pulls back a fist, his fist begins to glow orange, and Brawny unleashes a massive blow to Steelix's head. Her head slams into the ground and Brawny leaps off, ready for more.

"Wow, Brawny, amazing!" I shout. "That punch was dynamic!"

"Machamp!" Brawny shouts.

"Oh dear…" Jasmine says, worried.

Steelix picks herself back up, but looks woozy. She sways slightly, clearly having trouble focusing on Brawny. She pulls back defensively and shakes her head. I grimace at the sight, worried if Brawny caused any permanent damage. I want to win, but I do not want to kill the creature.

Jasmine frowns. "Are you okay, Steelix?" she asks.

Steelix roars angrily. She charges at Brawny, diving in his direction, but misses, slamming her face into the ground. She picks back up and swings her tail at him, but somehow ends up hitting herself in the face. Brawny scratches his head, just as confused as I am. I find myself worrying about Steelix again. Brawny looks at me, awaiting a command. I am at a loss, torn between wanting to win and not wanting to further harm Jasmine's Pokémon.

Darius snaps me out of my confusion and pokes me. "Hey, you okay?" he asks. "Your Machamp is waiting for your command."

"I don't know about this," I say. I point to the flailing Steelix. "I think Brawny seriously injured her."

Darius waves his hand at me. "Pfft, don't worry about that," he says. "She'll be fine. I think there was only one case of a Pokémon dying in a League battle. These Leagues are regulated and Pokémon Centers are fully capable of healing injuries."

My eyes go wide at the death comment. "What?! A Pokémon actually died in battle?!"

"Huh?" Darius says. "Oh, don't worry about that. Some kid lost control of his Charizard and it killed someone's Raticate, but don't worry, it's just a rumor. Probably never actually happened. I never should have brought it up. Look, finish the fight. It'll be fine…"

While waiting for my command, Brawny suddenly gets slammed by Steelix's tail. He gets plowed into the ground. Steelix roars and pulls her tail up, then slams it back down. She raises her tail again and Brawny slowly picks himself back up, wincing from the pain. Steelix slams her tail down once more, but Brawny catches it with his upper arms. Steelix pulls her tail up, but Brawny hangs on. Steelix flails her tail around, swinging Brawny around like a rag doll, slamming him into the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. The whole building shakes and debris falls around us. I open my mouth to say something, but I realize I do not know his attacks. "Brawny!" I shout, feeling helpless.

Brawny suddenly lets go, flipping through the air toward Steelix's head. He wraps his two left arms around Steelix's thick neck and pile-drives her into the ground. He then unleashes a barrage of punches to her face, lightning fast, to where his arms are a mere blur. Steelix pulls back all of a sudden and leaps on top of Machamp, crushing him under her immense weight. And then… silence.

My eyes go wide. It appears to be all over. Steelix does not move, keeping Brawny pinned under her. I see no signs of him. He has completely disappeared under her massive body. Even Jasmine gasped, seemingly surprised by the sudden ending. Darius places a hand on my shoulder. "Oh dear…" I hear Jasmine whisper.

Steelix starts to move, the middle of her body arching upward. Finally, her whole body rises in the air, and under her, stands Brawny. He lifts her entire body above him, his teeth grit hard, face strained with determination. His muscles bulge larger than I have ever seen. He looks at me briefly, then begins to turn around. He spins, slowly at first, then builds momentum. Steelix's helpless body twirls like a helicopter. Her tail flies toward us and we all dive for the ground. Faster and faster Brawny spins, until finally, he throws her across the room. She hits the wall, crashing through it, and falls into a heap outside, unconscious. Brawny stands in the center of the arena, panting heavily, looking bruised and battered, but also pleased.

Jasmine gasps, her hand over her mouth. "So… brutal," she says solemnly. She rushes toward Steelix and kneels beside her. Several onlookers surround them, curiously looking inside in awe.

I run toward Brawny. "Buddy, are you okay?" I ask.

Brawny flexes his arms and grins painfully. "Champ!"

I grimace. It had been a really harsh fight. I look over at Jasmine, who was stroking Steelix's head. I look to the floor and a flood of thoughts, emotions, and memories wash over me. To think that we have turned these creatures' pain into a sport infuriates me. My eyes well with tears as I remember the war. I understand why the League exists, but what escapes me is why we had to resort to its creation in the first place. Why can't people and Pokémon alike just get along? Why did there have to be a war in the first place?

I feel a meaty hand on my shoulder. I look up and see Brawny looking down at me with a long face. "Machamp?"

I wipe my eyes and nod. "I'm okay," I say. "Let's go check on Steelix."

We walk through the hole in the wall, where Jasmine was caressing Steelix. I kneel down beside her. She looks over at me and smiles weakly. "She'll be okay," she says assuringly. "Thanks for caring."

"Is there anything I can do?" I ask.

Jasmine thinks for a moment, then nods. "Yes, actually," she says. She reaches into her pocket, then hands me a small object. "Take this. You earned it."

I take the object and look at it. It is the Mineral Badge, looking just like the emblem on my jacket's lapel. I grimace and shake my head. "I can't," I say, handing it back.

Jasmine smiles and pushes my hand back toward me. "During the fight, you were worried about Steelix during her confusion and did not act," she explains. "I took advantage of that, and you still came out on top. You have shown both strength and compassion. Yes, I would say you earned it."

I close my hand over the badge and nod. "Thank you," I say.

Jasmine pulls out Steelix's Heavy Ball and pulls her inside. "I think a trip to the Pokémon Center is in order," she says cheerfully.

I look up at Brawny, who, despite being covered in scratches and bruises, looks quite happy. I chuckle and pull out his Great Ball. "Yeah, I think so too," I say.

The onlookers murmur as I pull Brawny back into his ball. According to Jasmine, nobody has ever beaten her Steelix so quickly. Even Lance, the Champion of all of Kanto and Johto, struggled to defeat her. This does not comfort me, as I still worry about the condition of her Steelix, and if Brawny really is that strong, I contemplate if I should be using him in battle at all. As we walk to the Pokémon Center, we discuss various aspects of Steel-types and their strategic uses. I also explain to her about Jaw, how he was a Steel-type from the Hoenn region, how he fell into my lap one day, and that I was taking him home. I offered for me and Brawny to help rebuild her gym, but she told me not to worry about it.

"We get a lot of bored sailors in this town," Jasmine says. "A little smile goes a long way with them." I chuckle.

We arrive at the Pokémon Center and hand our Pokémon over to the nurse. While I wait for mine to finish, Jasmine collects hers and bids us farewell. Darius looks at a device on his wrist. "Dude, we need to hurry," he says. "It's getting late. I don't think we'll make it to Goldenrod before sundown now, but we can make it before midnight if we go now."

"That's okay," I say. "It's better to sail at night anyway. You can follow the stars that way." I point to his wrist device. "What is that?"

Darius holds it up. "This? It's called a Pokétch. Sinnoh technology with numerous functions. It's pretty neat. It can tell time, has a calculator, memo pad, and various other applications. Really cool!"

I frown at the mention of Sinnoh, but ignore it. Suddenly, my Pokégear begins ringing. I look down and see Liz's number. A smile spreads across my face as I answer it. While we talk, Darius pulls out a pink Pokéball with baby blue trim and releases a small Pokémon with a shiny silver coat. I recognize it as an Eevee, but I have never seen one with a silver coat before. He then starts tossing its ball to Eevee. Eevee bounces it back with its tail, Darius catches it and tosses it back, Eevee bounces it back with its head, and so on and so forth. They continue this little game while we wait for my Pokémon.

Several minutes later, the nurse brings out my Pokémon. I say good-bye to Liz, collect my Pokémon, then turn to Darius. "I'm ready," I say. "That is an unusual Eevee you have. I've never seen a silver one before."

Darius continues the little game with Eevee as we talk. "Neither have I," he says, "but one day, I was walking around outside Castelia City in Unova and she just came out of the bush toward me. She rubbed up against my leg, I fed her some berries, and she stuck with me. I'm certain I wouldn't have had to capture her for her to stay with me, but it's a lot more convenient to have them in a ball."

He holds out the pink ball. "Time to go, Eevee!" She gets pulled in and he pockets the ball. I whistle to Jaws, who was napping in a corner. He pops up, yawns, and shuffles over to me. I pat him on the head and we all head outside.

The sun slowly begins to sink toward the mountains far to the west. As we approach the edge of the dock, Darius pulls out Lapras' ball and summons her in the water. He looks at me and nods. I return the nod, knowing that it was finally time to put Jaws in his Luxury Ball. I kneel down and pull out the ball. I look Jaws in the eyes and smile. "Hey bud, it's time to go in," I say. Jaws looks at the ball and nods, seemingly understanding. I rub his head gently and say "We have one shot at this, okay? Please refrain from struggling at all. Let it happen and I promise, you can come out once we get home, all right?"

Jaws nods. I take the ball and tap him on the head with it, letting it go. The ball pops out, Jaws gets pulled in, and the ball drops to the ground. It wobbles a bit, then I hear an audible click, and the ball stops moving. I exhale, suddenly realizing that I had been holding my breath the entire time. I gently pick up the ball and a part of me feels a bit sad. I stand up, gripping the ball, then I shove it into my pocket. I turn to Darius and nod. "Let's go."

He hops onto Lapras' back, and I follow. Lapras' hard shell is smooth to the touch and warm. I grab hold of one of the many pegs sticking out of her shell as Larpas slowly moves out to sea. I look back at Olivine City and watch it slowly fade into the distance. I look up at the sky and notice a few clouds ahead of us. The sun finally sinks behind the distant mountains and at that moment, the sea lights up. I look down and see Staryu floating in the water around us, their center gems glowing brightly. The ocean was alive, teaming with life, and the sight was beautiful.

"Jaws would love to see this," I say.

Darius focuses on the sea, brow furrowed with concentration. "I don't like the look of those clouds ahead," he says, reaching into his pocket. He pulls out Talonfalme's ball and lets her out. "Talonflame, go scout ahead for us." Talonflame soars into the sky, leaving a trail of bright flame behind her. As she soars into the distance ahead of us, the sun disappears and the sky grows dark. I look around and frown. The stars begin disappearing rapidly as we move forward. Suddenly, we hear a loud screech echo across the sea, and Talonflame's light disappears. Darius gasps and kicks Lapras gently, signaling her to swim faster. She speeds up, sea water splashing up from her rapid movement. I look around, keeping an eye out for Talonflame, and I find myself glad Darius talked me into putting Jaws in a ball.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a bright orange object in the sky. "There!" I shout to Darius, pointing in its direction. Darius steers Lapras to the south-west. As we approach the object, Talonflame swoops down and hovers over us, drenched. She squawks a couple times. "Well, that's not good," I say.

Darius pulls Talonflame's ball out of his pocket. "Care to share?" he asks. "Not everyone can understand Pokéspeech!"

"We're about to run into a storm!" I shout. "I don't need to understand her to know that!"

"Well, then how do you…" Darius starts, but is interrupted by a torrent. He spits out a mouthful of water and pulls a frantic Talonflame back into her ball. "This is bad!"

The wind slams into us hard, tossing us around in the rough waves. Lapras cries out and begins to panic. Darius strokes her head, soothing her, and Lapras calms down. He then looks back at me. "We need to go back!" he shouts.

"We've been out here for almost two hours!" I shout back. "Look around! We don't even know which way is which!"

Darius grunts and mutters to himself. "'Sail at night', he said. 'It'll be fine', he said."

"Not helping," I say.

Darius starts tinkering with his Pokétch. "I think there's a compass app on here…" Darius gets interrupted by a massive wave crashing over us. His Pokétch sparks and fizzes. "What?! Waterproof my ass!"

As I try to think of a plan, Darius removes his Pokétch and tosses it into the ocean. "Piece of crap Sinnoh tech!"

Suddenly, I remember something and get my idea. "Dude, so the wind blew in from the west, correct?"

"Uh… I think so," Darius says, unsure.

"It did," I assure. "Look, the wind hasn't changed direction yet, so we can use that as a compass for now. Head in that direction!" I point south-east.

"All right," Darius says, sounding unsure. "I hope you're right!"

Heavy rain pounds our faces as Darius turns Lapras around. The poor creature had been taking the full brunt of the storm, but she has been tough so far. She cries out and turns, putting the rain and the wind more towards out backs. The rocky waves toss us around, but we hold on tight. After a few minutes, the wind suddenly changes direction, coming at us with full force. Lapras struggles to trudge through into the wind, but she starts showing signs of fatigue. I notice movement at my feet and look down into the water. "Huh?"

Darius looks back. "What is it?"

I keep looking into the water. "Er… nothing, I guess."

I then notice the movement again. "What is that?!" I shout.

"Dude, you're freaking me out!" Darius shouts back.

"Darius, there's something in the water under us!" I shout, pointing into the water.

He looks as well and sees it. A giant silhouette starts making wide circles under us. It appears to be a massive fish, but none I recognize. Lapras begins to panic again, presumably from the massive creature circling us below the depths. The waves grow larger and crash against Lapras. Lapras tries to keep moving, but she slows down, growing weak from exhaustion.

"Come on, Lapras!" Darius says, trying to comfort her. "Just a little further!"

The silhouette moves away, swimming off behind us. I furrow my brow, trying to keep an eye on it, but I no longer see it. I turn back to Darius and open my mouth to say something, but just then, a massive wave rises above us. Lapras cries out as it picks us up and crashes over us. I get knocked off of Lapras, submerged in the ocean waters. I hold my breath and look toward the surface. The water is much calmer beneath the surface. Below me, I notice the creature coming back, heading straight toward me. I flail my arms, struggling to get back to the surface. As I see the creature get closer, I am suddenly yanked upward and pulled above the surface. I gasp, catching my breath, and look up to see Darius, clinging to Lapras' shell with one hand and my backpack with the other. I climb onto Lapras and exhale sharply. "Thanks, bud."

Darius looks forward, stroking Lapras' neck. "This is bad," Darius says. "We need to get out of this storm. Lapras is exhausted and can't hold out much longer."

"That creature is still down there too," I say, "and it is HUGE!"

"Not helping," Darius says.

Suddenly, the wind shifts and we start moving backward, getting pulled into the wind. "Wait, what?" I say, confused. I look back and see the water rapidly moving against the wind. My eyes go wide, knowing that should not be possible, which could only mean one thing. "Whirlpool!" I shout.

Darius looks back and sees the current too. "Crap!" he spits. "Hold on tight! Lapras, we need to move!"

Lapras moans from exhaustion, but swims with all her might. The water continues to pull us back, and we start moving in a giant circle. I hear a low, deep wail from beneath the surface and notice the creature is back. It must be creating the whirlpool! Lapras continues to struggle against the current, but eventually goes limp from sheer exhaustion. We helplessly swirl around in the whirlpool, slowly getting pulled to the center. We grip Lapras' shell tightly, trying to avoid getting thrown off. I hear the deep wail again, and the next thing I know, we get pulled beneath the surface and everything goes black.

I sputter awake, coughing up a mouthful of mud. As I do this, I realize that I am still alive, that somehow, I did not end up at the bottom of the ocean. I struggle to remember what had happened; everything happened so quickly. My mind races, flashing through the storm, the whirlpool, the creature in the depths. How I survived, I have not a clue. I dig my hands into the soft soil of the ground I am laying on and push myself up. The burn on my back stings from the salty seawater as I strain to push myself onto my hands and knees. I cough a few times, then vomit up a stream of ocean water. I cough a few more times, then from above me, I hear an odd, yet somehow familiar, chime. I slowly lift my gaze, but my eyes refuse to focus. I wipe the mud and grit out of them and attempt another glance. In the darkness, I see a shape hovering in front of me, a shape I am familiar with. A… question mark?

"It's you…" I cough, spitting out bits of dirt. "How…?"

I roll over onto my back. The fuzzy shape hovers over me, looking down at me, and chimes again. I blink a few times and focus again. The shape comes into view and I see my old friend from the Ruins of Alph, the creature shaped like a question mark. I smile weakly.

"Good… to see you… friend," I gasp. "Did you… save me?"

The Pokémon chimed again. I assume it said "yes" and try to sit up. "Thank you," I say. Suddenly, I remember Darius and his Lapras and sit upright instantly. "The others!" I shout. "Where are they?"

The Pokémon bobs up and down, chiming excitedly, and starts to hover away. I get to my feet and follow the Pokémon down the shoreline. Nestled into a crevice in the rock wall is Darius, slumped over a boulder. A few feet further down the shore is Lapras, laying on her side, not moving. I rush over to Darius and check for his breathing and his pulse. He seems to be okay; breathing is normal, and pulse is a bit slow, but still present. I pull him off the boulder and lay him on the ground. I gently slap his cheeks a few times and he begins to stir. He opens his eyes and furrows his brow. "Who are you?" he asks.

"Uh oh," I say to myself.

Suddenly, Darius sits up straight. "Lapras!" he shouts. "Where is she, Crono?!"

I allow myself a second to feel relief that he did not suffer amnesia, then point to Lapras on the shore. He rushes over to her, kneels down, and takes her head in his lap. After a few moments, he lets out a sigh of relief. "She's unconscious, but still alive," he says. He frantically looks around. "Where's my bag?" he asks.

I look around the boulder he was slumped over and find his bag on the other side. I run it over to him. He fiddles around inside it, then pulls out a yellowish crystal, which I recognize as a Revive. He crushes the crystal in his hand and waves it under Lapras' nose. A few moments later, she startles back to life and lets out a loud wail. Darius soothes her by stroking her long neck. "It's okay," he says. "I'm here. Eat up."

Lapras laps up the crystal power out of Darius' hand, then looks at him and nuzzles his cheek. Darius closes his eyes and hugs her tightly. "I'm glad you're okay," he says. "You did well out there. Rest now." He takes her ball out of his bag and pulls her back in. He replaces the ball, slings the bag over his shoulder, and stands up. "So, bud," he says, looking around. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," I say, scratching my chin, "but based on where we were sailing, I think it's safe to assume we're on one of the Whirl Islands."

"Huh," Darius grunts. "This is not exactly how I wanted to come here."

I nod. "I think we need to wait until morning to leave," I say. "The fog is thick and I'm not certain the storm has passed. In the meantime, let's find a safe place to set up camp."

Darius nods in agreement, then looks at me like I have three heads. "Dude," he says, pointing at me. "There's something behind you! Is that a… question mark?"

"Huh? Oh, right." I realize that my friend must be hovering right behind me. "Yeah, you can thank it for saving our hides. I don't know what it is, but it appears to have followed me all the way from the Ruins of Alph." I turn to the Pokémon. "Why did you follow me so far?"

The creature chimes and jingles, but I cannot make anything out. I decide to just be thankful it did. I feel my pockets and search my backpack to see what survived. My spare clothes are all soaked, but the food rations and, most importantly, my Pokémon, all survived. I contemplate letting Jaws out of his ball, but decide that I will wait until we are safe before I do. I reach behind me and peel the bandages from my back off, then put my backpack on. The burn stings, but it is tolerable. I look at Darius and give the thumbs up. "I'm ready, are you?"

Darius nods. We walk along the shoreline, looking over the tall rock wall to our left. The waves crash upon the shore to our right. The darkness makes it difficult to see much of anything, so we walk slowly to avoid running into anything. Darius mumbles something and starts rummaging through his bag. He pulls out Talonflame's ball and lets her out. Talonflame shrieks and spreads her wings. He strokes her feathers to calm her down. "How are you doing? It's okay," he says soothingly. "We just need you to light the way, please. Can you do that for us?"

Talonflame squawks softly and nuzzles Darius' hand. It then turns around, leaps into the air, and hovers above us, her wings engulfed in flame. She drifts along with us, lighting up the area enough for us. We continue walking along the shore until we spot an opening in the rock wall. Darius whistles at Talonflame and she swoops down toward the opening. We duck down and enter the cave.

Talonflame's fire lights up the interior and the cave is small, but cozy. The ground is mostly flat, with a raised section in the corner. I decide the raised section would be the best location to set up camp and climb up the short wall. I turn around and help Darius up, then look around. Another opening in the rock wall leading downward is to my right. I frown. "I was hoping for a little more security," I say. "Hopefully nothing lives in these caves."

Darius begins to unpack his soggy sleeping bag. "Ugh, this sucks," he groans. I start building a fire pit. Darius finishes his unpacking, then climbs down the wall. "I'll see if I can find any driftwood or something burnable."

"Be careful," I say. "Something about this place makes me uneasy."

Darius nods and walks out, taking Talonflame with him. I sit in the dark, alone, leaning against the wall and wait for Darius to return. Once again, I contemplate letting Jaws out of his ball, but decide that the interior of the ball would be better than this damp cavern, and leave him in. The question mark creature seems to have wandered off somewhere, so I continue to sit in the dark alone. Before I know it, though, I drift off to sleep.

I snap awake suddenly. I look around and notice burning embers in the fire pit. I assume Darius built the fire and begin to wonder just how long I had been out. I look over and Darius is racked out on his sleeping bag, snoring away. I stand up and stretch, then decide to set up my own bedding when I hear something coming from the opening in the wall. It was a deep moan, low and quiet, like the opening was yawning. I furrow my brow and continue working on my bedding, trying to ignore it. I hear it again and look over to the opening. Something is calling me, reaching out to me, drawing me in, and I find myself walking to the opening in the wall. Behind me, I hear Darius stir, but for some reason, I do not care, for whatever it is in this cave, I have this burning desire to discover it. The siren calls and I cannot resist it.

"Crono?" Darius says sleepily. "What are you doing?"

I do not move. I stand there, halfway through the opening, looking down the depths. "Something is down there," I say. "It is calling to me. It demands my presence."

"What are you talking about?" Darius asks, confused. "I don't hear anything."

I close my eyes and shake my head. "I don't know what it is," I say, "but I hear it calling out. It sounds… angry. Why? Why are you angry?" I look back at Darius, a tear rolling down my cheek. "I don't understand, but I have to go."

Darius grumbles, but gets up. "All right, all right," he says, "but you're not going alone. I'm coming with you."

I smile as Darius collects his bag. He scoops up my backpack and tosses it to me. "You might want this," he says.

"Thank you, buddy," I say, gracious for his friendship.

We walk in and head down the steep slope. The moist ground is slick. We use the wall to keep from slipping. The tunnel seems to go on forever, but eventually, the tunnel ends and the cave opens before us. Darius releases Talonflame and asks her to light the cave for us. She obliges and we see several winding paths before us. Darius looks at me and shrugs. "Well," he says. "Which way do we go?"

I close my eyes and listen. I hear the deep moan and it feels like a stake in my heart. I choke back the tears and point straight ahead. "That way," I say.

We walk down the path, every step getting us closer to whatever is down here. As we approach the end, the path splits off into two directions. One direction is blocked by a giant boulder, while the other is open. I frown.

"Looks like we'll have to head this way," Darius says, pointing to the open path.

I shake my head. "No, this is the way we need to go."

"It's blocked, though," Darius says. "We'll find another way around."

"No, we won't," I say, pulling out a ball. "We're going this way!" I throw the ball down and Brawny leaps out. "Brawny, shatter that boulder!"

"MACHAMP!" Brawny thrusts a beefy fist at the boulder and the boulder shatters. The debris crumbles to the ground and the path opens, leading further into the cave.

"Let's go," I say, filled with determination.

We move deeper into the cave. The walls and ground grow damper and a glow emanates from within. The path declines once more, winding through the rock. When we reach the bottom, we are confronted with a large pool of water. Across the pool is another opening, leading deeper into the cave. The pool glows brightly. I peer inside and see the pool filled with Tentacool. The red orbs on their heads are glowing brightly, illuminating the cavern. I look around and realize there is no way around. The only way to go further is to cross the pool, but how? With all the Tentacool, we would get overwhelmed and die from all the poison.

"Machamp?" Brawny asks.

"I'm thinking," I respond.

"We could always fly on Talonflame's back, one at a time," Darius suggests.

I begin to think that is a good idea, until a giant Tentacruel rises from the pool. It towers over the other Tentacool and reaches out with its many tentacles. We jump out of the way, but Brawny jumps in front of Tentacruel. Tentacrual grabs Brawny's arms and tries to pull him into the pool. Brawny grits through the pain of the multiple stings. He wraps the tentacles further around his arms, grips them tightly, and pulls back. Tentacruel shoots a stream of poison at Brawny, but Brawny dodges it. He then pulls hard and Tentacruel flies toward him. Brawny then lets go and launches a mighty uppercut under the Tentacruel. The Tentacruel slams into the cavern ceiling, knocking the Tentacruel silly. Brawny drops it into the water, then grabs it in two hands and looks it in the eye. "Ma-ma-CHAMP! Machamp!" he shouts.

Tentacruel grumbles. Then Brawny looks at me and waves me over. "Machamp!" he says, then jumps on Tentacruel's head. I hesitate, but Brawny reaches over, picks me up, and holds me over his head. Tentacruel sinks a little under the weight, but stays above the surface. "Champ!" Brawny says, tugging on Tentacruel. Tentacruel grumbles again and moves slowly across the pool. I look back at Darius, who jumped on Talonflame's back and follows us across. We reach the end and Brawny tosses me to land. He then jumps off Tentacruel's head. "Champ-champ!" he says. Tentacruel glares at Brawny as it slowly sinks beneath the water.

"Wow, nice job," I say. Brawny flexes, clearly pleased with himself.

Darius reaches us and leaps off Talonflame. He thanks her and strokes her feathers, then we continue further into the cave.

The moaning gets louder as we head further down, winding through the rock tunnel. The ground gets steeper and wetter, and suddenly, I slip, falling on my butt. I slide down the tunnel, racing through fast.

"Crono!" Darius shouts. He reaches out to grab me, but misses, and falls himself. He reaches up to grab Brawny, but Brawny already jumped down, sliding down after me. Talonflame squawks and flies down after us.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally hit flat ground. I groan and look up. Before me stands the most majestic waterfall I have ever seen. The water practically glows a crystal blue as it roars through the cavern. I get to my feet and step forward slowly, creeping to the water's edge. The water appeared so pure, I could see the bottom of the pool, deep below the surface. Behind me, Brawny and Darius spill from the tunnel, landing in a heap, followed by Talonflame, squawking in annoyance. Brawny gets up, picks Darius off the ground, and plants his feet on the ground.

"Ugh, thanks," Darius says, wiping mud off his backside. "That was NOT… whoa." Darius looks up at the mighty waterfall, mouth open. "Where are we?"

"I think we are here," I say.

From behind the waterfall, the wailing emanates, growing louder. I see a dark silhouette grow from behind the water, and a familiar dread fills my heart. I have seen this before, and the memory of it floods my mind. It was the creature from before, during the storm! I step back as the waterfall parts and a mighty creature bursts forth. It is silvery-white with a long neck, pointed head, and thick meaty wing-like arms. Large black scales line its back and trailing behind it is a thick tail ending in black spikes. The creature is huge and intimidating.

The creature hovers over the pool, emerging entirely from the waterfall, and moves slowly toward us. It glowers down at us angrily as it flaps its powerful wings. The rush of air blasts us back, pushing us against the cavern wall. Finally, it lands, hitting the ground with a heavy thud, causing the cavern walls to shudder. It leans down and stares right at me, as I stand there, shivering in terror. Then suddenly, my mind bursts and I hear, clear as these crystalline waters, the voice of the Pokémon.

*WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE, HUMAN?*

The majestic creature before me towers over us, its mighty wings spread. It glowers at us, demanding an answer to its question. I step forward slowly, but unable to speak. The power emanating from this Pokémon is overwhelming and chokes my ability to respond. I take another step closer and the legendary Pokémon shifts uneasy. I stop and finally manage to find the words to answer.

"We crashed here in the storm," I say in a shaky voice. "Something called me down here. Was that you?"

The creature raises its wings in the air. It lets out a mighty roar that shakes me to the very bones. I slide back several inches as I shield myself from its bellowing voice. It then flaps its wings, creating a mighty gust of wind that pushes me back even further.

*THIS IS A SACRED PLACE! HUMANS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE!*

The soundless voice explodes in my mind and I wince. I assume from the telepathic way it speaks to me that it must be psychic. The telepathy gives me a mild headache, but I bear with it.

"We came here by accident," Darius says. "Don't worry, we'll leave! Come on, Crono, let's not make it angry."

I ignore Darius, keeping my eyes on the immense Pokémon. I was called here, I believe that, and I believe it was by this creature. This creature, this Pokémon, is upset. Such terrible anger, so terrible, it called to me, possibly without knowing it. I do not know what compels me, but I have to know why.

"Why are you so angry?" I ask. "Is it because we have trespassed here, in this sacred place?"

The beast narrows its eyes, looking at me with an intrigue it has yet to show since our arrival. It holds its wings against its body and leans down slightly, still maintaining its height above me so I have to keep looking up. It responds, but this time, the voice in my head is not so loud and is painless.

*You humans destroy everything you touch. You humans have no respect for this world or anything in it. As a resting place for Pokémon, you will not defile this place too.*

"I do not understand," I say. "Is it because of that boulder we broke earlier?"

The Pokémon roars angrily. *DO YOU THINK OF ME SO PETTY? YOUR DEFILEMENT IS MUCH GREATER THAN THAT. YOUR TOXIC PRESENCE HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRE PLANET!*

I buckle under the headache and drop to one knee. Brawny rushes up and stands in front of me, between me and the Pokémon. "Machamp!" he shouts, holding up his two right fists.

*You dare challenge me to protect this human?* the creature inquires.

"CHAMP!" Brawny shouts, leaping towards the creature.

"Brawny, don't!" I shout, but it is too late. The powerful creature rears its head back and opens its mouth. A brilliant orb of light grows from within its maw, and as Brawny leaps into the air, a massive beam fires forth. The beam slams into Brawny's face, driving him into the ground. Brawny is embedded in the ground, buried beneath a pile of rubble. I look in horror as I do not see him move. After a few seconds of eternity, Brawny slowly reaches up out of the rubble and weakly pulls himself out.

"Ma…. champ?" he stammers weakly. I let out a sigh of relief and rush over to help him up.

The Pokémon looks curiously at me and Brawny, watching as I help him to his feet. Brawny looks at me with a sheepish grin, as if to say "oops". I hug him and he returns the hug. I then turn to the Pokémon towering over us.

"Why?" I ask again. "How are we so vile that you would despise us?"

The Pokémon glares at me angrily. *I DO NOT ANSWER TO MERE HUMANS. YOU WILL LEAVE AT ONCE AND NEVER RETURN!*

Just then, I hear a familiar chime. I look and behind us all is my floating question mark, as if to add physical punctuation to my burning question. It floats past me, stops before the legendary Pokémon, and chimes. The creature looks at it with narrow eyes, listening intently.

*The Unown never leave the ruins. What is it about this human that made you leave?*

"The Unown?" I ask to myself. "Is that what this Pokémon is called?"

The Unown chimes more, presumably explaining its departure from the Ruins of Alph. The legendary Pokémon listens patiently, hearing out the Unown and its story.

*So you witnessed this human risk his own life to save a Pokémon?* the creature asks. *I find that difficult to believe any human doing such an act. I have witnessed humans do terrible things to Pokémon and to themselves. A brutal war where Pokémon were forced to fight each other to the death, were forced to kill humans, humans killing humans and Pokémon alike, all for the petty whims of political leaders. Oh, I have seen what humans are capable of, and it disgusts me.*

"You watched the war?" I ask. "The one from twelve years ago?"

The creature nods. *I have. This placed was once a beautiful island surrounded by calm seas, filled with lush forests, inhabited by many Pokémon, and I was its guardian. Some species were only found on this island, wonderful creatures that are now extinct. Then you humans came and tore it apart, stripping it of its natural resources. Your petty squabble ruined this once beautiful island, so much that I was forced to destroy it, killing everything on it.*

My eyes went wide. "You were the guardian of this island and you destroyed it?" I shouted. "Why would you do that if you were supposed to protect it?"

The creature grows angry. *IT WAS BETTER TO DIE AT MY WILL THAN TO SUFFER AT THE HANDS OF HUMANS!*

I wince from the pain, but press on. "I know the war you speak of," I continue, and as I do, a revelation dawns on me. My eyes well up with tears, but I press on. "It was a terrible war, where many people and Pokémon died. A war that should never have happened, but it did. The battle that was fought here, I am well aware of it. Oh, am I aware of it!"

"Hey," Darius says. "Calm down."

I ignore him. "We call it 'The Battle for Awaji', the name of the island before it was destroyed. It was the bloodiest battle in the war, with over one-hundred thousand deaths between both human and Pokémon. The battle would have been bloodier had the island not exploded. We did not know what caused the explosion. Some thought it was a volcanic eruption, some thought it was some sort of super weapon, but nobody knew. Until now. Oh, I am aware of the tragedy that took place here."

The creature glares down at me, clearly unpleased with the tone I was taking with it, but I do not care. I press on. "I studied that battle my entire childhood. I had to know what happened and why, but never was able to find an answer. Now, thanks to you, I know. After twelve years, I finally know what happened. YOU killed my father!"

"Whaaaaaat?!" Darius exclaims.

The Pokémon stares me down, but I refuse to budge. I feel justified in my anger, but at the same time, I feel this creature, the guardian of Awaji, is justified all the same. I have read stories about this creature, an unseen protector of a Pokémon Paradise, untouched by human hands. The Johto region had made sure the island would remain that way, but when Sinnoh attacked Kanto and we entered the war by Kanto's side, Sinnoh saw the island as a strategic military outpost and tried to take camp there. Johto moved in, seeking to prevent them from tarnishing the island of legend, but were unsuccessful. When the island was destroyed, it was a turning point for the war. It was what caused the Sinnoh military to surrender. They had sent their most elite soldiers there, and they lost them all. Sinnoh had nothing left, but neither did we. The Pokémon Paradise was no more, and the legend of the unseen guardian was disregarded as a myth… until now, and I know its name from those stories.

"I know who you are," I say. "Your name is Lugia."

Lugia steps toward me and lowers its head even with mine. It looks directly into my eyes as its eyes begins to glow. I feel a searing warmth in my mind; not painful, but discomforting nonetheless. The feeling continues for several seconds, then subsides. Lugia lifts its head and looks at me, this time not with angry, but with perhaps… empathy? I then hear its voice in my head, this time more somber than before.

*I see who you are speaking of,* it says. *I remember every single being that set foot on this island, humans and Pokémon alike. The man you speak of, your father, did not die by my hand, but at the hands of his enemies.*

My mind is flooded with waves of images; various people and Pokémon. It is the war, and I am seeing it clearly as if I were there. I see the Sinnoh army coming around along a mountain path, numerous troops and their Pokémon; I recognize Steelix, Houndooms, Scizors, and various Eevee evolutions, along with Pokémon that looked like evolutions of Rhydon, Magmar, and Electabuzz. Some came riding in on Rapidashes, wielding banners that bore the Sinnoh nation's emblem. The army marched toward an encampment at the base of the mountain, a small station with few troops. I recognize the flag flying over the camp as the old Johto flag, the one we used before the alliance with Kanto. I see the soldiers in the camp scurrying frantically, for they know they are horribly outnumbered by the incoming army. The images zoom into the camp and I see a man I have not seen in a long, long time; my father. His features are rigid, his face worn, but filled with determination. He stands before the soldiers, trying to calm them down. Then I hear his voice, so deep and kind, the voice I only hear in my dreams now, the voice that once calmed me down when I was upset, the voice that soothed me back to sleep when I had a nightmare, the voice that scolded me when I was naughty, the voice that loved me and my mother unconditionally.

"Men!" he shouted boldly. "This is a fight we will not win. We are completely outnumbered ten to one. I do not expect any of you to stay and await death. Grab what you can and fall back to the beach. Reinforcements are on their way, but they will not arrive for another hour. Fall back and prepare for their arrival."

My father speaks bravely, his voice loud and strong. His soldiers look upon him with respect and admiration and follow his orders. It is clear to me he was a commendable leader, formidable in battle and well-respected by his comrades. One soldier raises his hand, requesting permission to speak. My father grants it.

"What will you do?" he asks.

My father's eyes fill with vigor and determination. He turns his back to his men and gaze upon the dust cloud rolling down the mountain. "I will stay here, and hold them back as long as possible."

"Sir, that's suicide!" shouts another soldier.

"You can't do that!" shouts a third.

"Silence!" my father bellows. "You have your orders! Now go!"

Most of the soldiers fall out, rushing to gather supplies. Three soldiers, however, remain in place. These three approach my father.

"You have orders, Lieutenant," my father says.

"You cannot order us, sir," the Lieutenant says. "We're resigning our commission. We will remain here."

My father cracks a smile. "Then I expect to see your letter of resignation on my desk first thing in the morning."

The images fast forward, spiraling together into a blur before stopping at the showdown with the Sinnoh army. The commander of the army, riding a chariot pulled by two Rapidashes, confronts my father.

"This outpost belongs to us now," the commander says arrogantly. "Surrender at once and your heathen lives may be spared."

Father stands his ground, his fellow men behind him. "We will never surrender. This island is under our protection."

The commander glares down at Father. "You are but four men. What do you hope to do against one-thousand of Sinnoh's elite?"

Father pulls out a Pokéball. "Protect our nation, that's what! Go, Machamp!" He throws the Pokéball and a mighty Machamp emerges. His soldiers follow suit, producing an Alakazam, a Scyther, and a Nidoking. The four form up and take on a defensive stance.

"I will not deny you the pleasure of dying for your country," the Sinnoh commander says. "Attack!"

The battle ensures, the Sinnoh horde rushing toward them. They clash, Machamp smashing through waves of enemy Pokémon, Alakazam psychically tossing Pokémon around and setting up defensive barriers, Scyther zipping through enemy after enemy with ninja speed, and Nidoking sundering the ground with terrible earthquakes and fissures. I am deeply moved with the way these four men, my father, fight so bravely in the face of inconceivable odds. Enemy after enemy fall at the hands of these four brave men, but over time, the weight of battle takes its toll. At last, the commander decides to fight.

"You have fought well," the commander says, squaring off with Father. "However, it is for naught, for you will fall this day, and Sinnoh will smite your heathen ally for their basphemy."

"I fight to protect my men," Father shouts, "and for the future of my son. You will not take that from him. Go Machamp!"

"Very well," the commander says, tossing a Pokéball. A green and white Pokémon pops out, slick with a red horn and blades for arms.

The two Pokémon clash, while my father charges the commander. They fight brilliantly, both evading each other's attacks, neither gaining any ground, but both Father and Machamp grow weary from combat. The other three continue their efforts to hold off the invaders, but one by one, they fall. Nidoking goes down along with his trainer, followed by Scyther. Alakazam projects a barrier around Father and the commander, trying with all its might to keep the invaders back. Finally, Alakazam collapses, and the wall falls.

"Commander," the Lieutenant says. "I'm sorry…" The Lieutenant collapses and is engulfed in the stampede.

Machamp goes down with a mighty blow from the commander's Pokémon and does not get up. Father, clutching his ribs in pain, falls to the ground, and the commander walks over to him. He looks down at him in triumph.

"I said you would not win," the commander says arrogantly. "Rhyperior, finish him."

I snap back to reality and collapse to the ground, tears pouring down my face. I pound my fists into the ground repeatedly until my knuckles are mashed and bloody. I scream with rage, with sorrow, with despair. My father fought bravely, he died protecting his men, his nation, his family. My father is a hero and I miss him terribly.

I feel a meaty hand upon my shoulder. I touch Brawny's hand and stand up, facing Lugia. It looks down at me with empathy. *I know what you are feeling,* it says. *I feel the same anger, the same hurt. You are not alone in your despair.*

"How would you know what I feel?" I say through my tears. "That was my father, and he was murdered by those monsters."

*I had a family once,* Lugia says. *My family lived on this island, a child to call my own. My child was murdered just as your father was. It is why I chose to destroy the island. It was an act of anger and of grief.*

At the mention of its child, I immediately regret my anger towards Lugia. It was in pain just as I was, and now it lived here in solitude. I lower my gaze from Lugia. "I'm sorry," I say. "I want to apologize on behalf of humanity for the terrible crime it has committed against you. I'm sorry."

Lugia bows its head. *I accept your apology, and in return, accept mine. But do not despair for the loss of your father, for a piece of his legacy follows you loyally. I can see that he will be with you forever.*

I nod. "He is my hero," I say. "He'll always be in my heart."

For the first time, Lugia smiles. *That may be, but I was not referring to your memory of him,* it says, *but of your Pokémon companion.* It points a wing at Brawny. When it sees the confused look on my face, it continues. *Allow me to show you what I mean.*

My mind goes black, then an image of a cave in the forest paints across my mind. I see a Machamp standing outside the cave, standing before a man. The man turns his head and he is my father. He appears to be talking with the Machamp, and the Machamp nods. Machamp then walks away, following Father, and behind Machamp, peeking out of the cave, is a small Machop, watching them leave. The moment I see the Machop, it suddenly dawns on me, and I am pulled back to reality.

"No… way?!" Tears pour down my eyes as the realization. I turn to Brawny, who stands there with his goofy grin, looking at me. "Is it true?!"

"Ma-CHAMP!" Brawny shouts and he flexes.

I turn to Lugia, who simply nods at me. *It is true. Your father's Machamp, the one you adored as a child, was Brawny's father.*


	6. Chapter 6: Clear Skies, Clear Soul

The revelation of Brawny's history leaves me speechless. I simply stand there, looking at Brawny, who just scratches his head with his goofy grin. This whole time, he is the son of Father's Machamp, and I never knew, but looking back, it makes sense. As unruly he had been when he first arrived at the Goldenrod Department Store, I arrive on the first day and he calms down. I thought I just had some kind of magic touch, but now I realize, he must have sensed it, smelled his father on me, something. It fills me with endless joy knowing that this Pokémon's father had a bond with my father, and now we have a similar bond. I know that if it came down to it, I would die for Brawny, and deep down, I believe he would do the same for me.

Lugia bows its head. *I was mistaken about humans,* it says. *You are not all bad. To meet a human that could make the Unown leave the ruins fills me with hope.*

The Unown chimes. Lugia smiles and nods.

*Crono, this Unown clearly trusts you,* Lugia says. *I think it is time to solidify the bond between you two. Crono, if you promise to take care of the Unown, then please, take it with you.*

I look at the Unown, and it returns my gaze. I smile and nod. "I promise."

Darius reaches into his pocket and pulls out a Dusk Ball. "Here bud," he says, tossing me the ball. "Make it official!"

I catch the ball and silently thank him. I look back at the floating question mark. It chimes and I nod. I throw the ball, it pops open, and Unown is pulled in. The ball wobbles a bit, then clicks, sealing Unown inside. I pick up the ball and look at it. The unusual Pokémon I met in the Ruins of Alph, mere days ago, but yet, feels like ages, followed me all this way because it saw I cared. I vowed to take good care of it and I intend to live up to that vow.

Lugia smiles. *The Pokémon you now carry with you is very special,* it says. *The Unown have not revealed themselves to any human for many millennia, let alone leave the ruins. To do so must mean there is hope in this world again. Perhaps it is time to abandon my solitude and become the guardian once again.* Lugia bows its head. *Crono, you are always welcome here. I will assist you out so you may go home.*

Darius looks up at Lugia. "Erm, excuse me, but what about me?"

Lugia looks at Darius, narrows its eyes, and I see Darius wince slightly. Lugia must be reading his mind. Lugia relaxes its eyes and Darius relaxes as well.

*You are good at heart,* Lugia says. *You care deeply for Pokémon and treat them well. However, do not neglect them. Raise them well, and you will achieve that which you desire.*

Darius cocks his head. "Huh?"

Lugia closes its eyes and the waterfall parts. The water splits, revealing a dry path. *Follow the path and you will find your exit.*

Darius, Talonflame, Brawny, and I walk the path Lugia cleared for us. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. As we pass through the waterfall, Lugia looks back at us. *May the skies be clear on your journey home,* it says, and the waterfall closes. We continue walking through the tunnel and when we reach the end, we are greeted with clear skies and a rising sun. The storm has ended and the sea is calm. I look back at Brawny.

"Time to go home, buddy," I say. Brawny flexes and grins as I pull him back into his ball. Darius follows suit with Talonflame, then releases Lapras. She appears refreshed and ready to take on the sea again. Darius smiles and strokes her neck.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" he says to her soothingly. Lapras sings out and we climb onto her back. She swims out to sea and we head east toward Goldenrod City, leaving the Whirl Islands, and Lugia, behind.

The trip across the water is calm and uneventful. We sail mostly in silence for a while as I ponder the night's events. At one point, Darius asks me a question. "What do you think Lugia meant by not neglecting my Pokémon? I think I take care of them just fine."

I shrug, but not say anything. I am too exhausted to ponder on riddles. Darius keeps talking, though, about his battles across Unova; how he started with a Fletchling, it evolved into Fletchinder after his battle with Roxie and her Poison types, then evolved further to Talonflame after defeating Clay and his Ground types. He also talked about Elesa and how her Electric types were the toughest opponents to overcome, since Electric types are strong against Flying. He also continuously mentions how cute Elesa is, so much so, that if he says that he will propose to her after becoming Champion, I will not be surprised.

At last, we see Goldenrod City on the horizon. The clear skies and warm sun welcomes us to the city. I smile, finding myself looking forward to seeing Mother again, and going on that date with Liz I promised her. The Global Trade Terminal looms closer, and at last, we reach the pier. I climb up onto the pier, but Darius lingers a bit. He strokes Lapras neck and gently hugs her.

"Thank you, Lapras," he says. "I'm sorry for pushing you through that storm." Lapras sings out as Darius climbs up onto the pier. "Time to go!" He pulls Lapras back into her ball.

As I watch Darius, I realize that I have come full circle. This is where I first met Jaws that morning. I recall what an unusual Pokémon he was, so full of energy, and hungry! I realize now that I do not want to take him home; on the contrary, I want him to be mine. I want to keep him forever. I pull his Luxury Ball out and stare at it. I wonder if I would ever be able to find his original owner anyway. I contemplate giving up and just staying home, keeping Jaws with me, but my conscious nags at me. Someone out there is probably missing him right now, and I could not live with myself if I had the capability to take him home and did not do so. I sigh, and release Jaws from his ball.

Jaws stretches and looks around, seemingly confused. He then sees me and smiles big. He runs up and hugs my leg. I reach down and pat him on the head. "You're free, bud," I say. "No more ball for a while! Did you at least enjoy your time inside? It's supposed to be the best one."

Jaws nods and does his little hop. Good to know that if we have to, he will be comfortable inside. I secretly hope we never have to again, because I actually missed him while he was in there. I tuck the ball away in my bag, and Darius walks up to me, Lapras' ball in hand.

"Well, bud," he says. "You lead the way. This is your turf, right? What is there to do here?"

I recall the events of the night, but when I look at Darius, one particular moment comes to mind, and I decide. "Before we head home, there's something I'd like to do," I explain. "I think there is something you would like there as well."

Darius shrugs. "Sure, whatever you want," he says. "It's your home."

I chuckle and we head toward the Goldenrod Department Store. As the towering store looms over us, I remember my year working here. It has only been about two weeks since I left home, but it feels like an eternity. So much has happened in those two weeks, it is a bit overwhelming, and I do not regret a second of it. The electronic doors open before us and we walk inside. I head straight for the elevator, get inside, and instinctively hit the basement floor button. We stand in silence as we go down, then the elevator chimes and the door opens. I see the Machoke working tirelessly moving boxes and unloading the delivery truck, and in the midst of them, Craig is guiding them. With me gone, he must have had a terrible time trying to get Brawny to do anything, and now that Brawny is gone, his stress levels must have gone down. He looks more energetic than I have ever seen him. Who knew Brawny took that much out of him.

Craig notices me and his eyes get big. "Crono!" he bellows from across the room. We approach Craig and he greets us. "How have you been? It's good to see you!"

I smile. "Good to see you, too," I say. "This is my friend, Darius. We're traveling to Hoenn together."

Craig holds his hand out. "Nice to meet you, Darius."

Darius shakes his hand. "Likewise."

"I just want to thank you for giving me Brawny," I say. I explain to him everything I learned about Brawny, to which Craig seems thoroughly surprised.

"Well, knowing that, it's easy to see why he gave us so much trouble," he says, "and why you were able to calm him down."

"I had no idea," I say. "The connection just felt natural."

We talk for a bit longer, then I notice Darius looking bored as he plays ball with his Eevee. I finish up with Craig. "It was great seeing you again," I say.

"Likewise," Craig says. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask!"

We say our goodbyes, then I motion at Darius. He pulls Eevee back into her ball and joins me. I call out of Jaws, who is being tossed around by some of the Machokes and clearly enjoying it. The Machoke set him down and he runs over with the biggest grin on his face. I chuckle, pat him on the head, then we enter the elevator. As I push a button for the fifth floor, I grin at Darius. "Now it's your turn," I say.

The elevator chimes and we exit. Before us is a sign that reads "Goldenrod Tech Center" that hangs over the entrance. Darius' eyes open wide with surprise. Before us is a large spread of all sorts of technology, ranging from high-definition televisions, Technical Machines for Pokémon, gaming devices, and lots of various gadgets to aid trainers in their journeys. Seeing how stunned he is, I pull him by his sleeve and guide him toward the Trainer Tech counter. I motion at all the devices on the counter. "Here's something to replace that watch of yours," I say, tossing him a Pokégear set. He catches it and looks it over. "Not only does it tell time, but it has a map app capable of installing maps of various areas, a radio, and has a cell phone so we can call each other, in case we get separated. Not only that…" I hold up my own. "…it really is waterproof."

Darius admires the device. He tries it on and holds it out, looking at how it fits on him. I grin. "Sinnoh Tech… HA! That's for children."

Darius looks at it for a moment longer, then looks at me. "Does it come in green?"

After Darius buys his Pokégear (he forked over the two-hundred-thousand Pokédollars like it was pocket change!), he decides to browse around a bit at the Technical Machines. He explains to me about the importance of TMs, stating they help teach Pokémon moves they normally cannot learn and can add unpredictability to battles. He also explains type coverage, telling me about how TMs can help teach Pokémon moves that can cover their weaknesses, such as if I teach Brawny Rock Slide, it can help protect him from Flying types, one of his weaknesses.

"I think Brawny is capable of throwing rocks around on his own," I joke.

Darius chuckles. "Seriously, though, you should consider it. It will help him a lot in battles."

"All right," I say. "Let's see what they have."

We approach the counter and Darius asks the guy for the Rock Slide TM. The guy shakes his head. "I'm sorry," he says. "We don't have that one in right now. We have a shipment of new TMs coming from Kanto, but it won't be here for a few more days."

Darius frowns. I browse through the discs on the shelf and find one that looks appealing. "Hey, how about this one?" I ask. "It reads 'Thunder Punch'. I think Brawny would be capable of learning this. He loves punching things, and Flying types are weak to Electric moves, right?"

Darius nods. "Yeah, I think that will work."

I look at the price. Three thousand is not a bad price, but looking into my wallet reveals that is everything I have left. I ponder it for a moment, then shrug. Brawny is worth it. I hand the money to the cashier, then look at Darius. "So… how does this work?" I hold up the disc.

"You use your TM case," he says. "Just install it into the case, put it on Brawny's head, and turn it on." I stare blankly at him. "You don't have one, do you?" I shake my head. "Sigh… well, don't worry, I have you covered."

Darius pulls out his TM case. He opens it and inside I see rows of discs inside, along with a small belt with a device attached to it. He pulls the device out, then snatches the disc from me. He takes the disc out of its case and loads it into the TM device. "Now release your Machamp."

I take out Brawny's ball and let him out. He flexes, then scoops me up into a bone-crushing hug. I grimace happily at the pain. He sets me down and grins goofily at me. "Hey bud," I say. "How would you like to learn a new punch?"

Brawny cheers happily. "Machamp!"

"Kneel down," Darius says. Brawny looks at me and I nod. Brawny kneels down and Darius straps the device to his head. He tightens it to fit, then pushes a button. The device whirs and Brawny closes his eyes. After a few seconds, Brawny's eyes open and the device beeps. Darius reaches up and unstraps the device. "Done! Show us that new move, Brawny!"

Darius and I step back as Brawny focuses. He looks at his fist, then pulls it back. His fist sparks, then lightning bolts wrap around his arm, converging on his fist. He punches the air in front of him and the lightning dissipates. Brawny grins. "Ma-CHAMP!"

I grin too. Knowing Brawny can now better defend himself against one of his weak points makes me happy. Learning to battle properly will definitely help me better protect my Pokémon against harm, should the need arise like in Ecruteak. I hold up Brawny's ball. "Come, buddy," I say. "Let's go home."

We leave the department store and I guide Darius and Jaws to my home. Once we get there, I take out my key and open the door. We walk in and I hear noise in the kitchen. Mother is home! "Mom?" I call out.

Mother peeks her head out of the kitchen doorway. "Huh? Is that you, Crono?"

I smile and nod. "Yes, I'm home."

Mother comes barreling out of the kitchen and scoops me up in a huge hug. I grimace a bit from the healing burn on my back, but return the hug. Mother seems to notice me grimace and pushes me back. "What's wrong?" she asks. "Are you hurt?"

"Meh," I shrug. "I got hurt a while back, but I'm fine, I promise."

"Show me," she demands.

"Mom, not right now," I say. "We have company."

Mother looks over my shoulder and sees Darius and Jaws standing by the door. "Oh!" she says, turning red. "Yes, it seems we do. Sorry for embarrassing you." She lets me go.

"Heh, it's all right," I say. "This is Darius. We met at Olivine City."

Darius steps forward and extends a hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

"Well-mannered, I see," Mother says, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"Darius is going to Hoenn with me," I explain.

"It's nice to know you'll have company," she says. "How long will you be home?"

"Uh…" I hesitate. I had not really thought about that. I look over at Darius, who shrugged.

"We both have been through a lot, bud," he says. "We all could use a little rest."

I nod. "A couple days, I suppose," I say to Mother.

Mother smiles. "Good," she says. "I work from 2-5pm each day, but should be home in time for dinner, so I'll cook you guys something nice!"

"Awesome!" I say. It has been a while since I had a home-cooked meal, and it would certainly be better than my travel rations.

We hang out for a while, telling Mother about my adventures. I think about telling her about Father and what Lugia taught me about him, but I decide against it for the time being, not wanting to ruin the joyful reunion. I decide to tell her later, in private. I tell her about my injury, to which she offers to change my bandages. She also offers to wash our clothes, since we smell of ocean and mud. Darius turns red at this, but takes her up on her offer. I offer a set of my clothes from my dresser, since all his clothes got soaked in the storm. We then let all our Pokémon out, which made for a very crowded living room. Cyndaquil and Hoot-Hoot join them and there is a lot of happy playing. Jaws does not seem afraid of Cyndaquil anymore, and the two frolick around the house together. Hoot-Hoot and Talonflame fly around the room together. Unown hovered around, and because I find myself wishing I knew if it was happy or not. Kind of difficult to read its emotions when it does not have much of a face. Darius plays ball with Eevee while we talk and Brawny juggles Piplup, Pachirisu, and Dunsparce around. Darius decides against letting Lapras out since she is too big. After a couple hours, Mother stands up.

"Well, it's almost time for work," she says. "It was so wonderful seeing you again. I'll be home to cook you guys some dinner."

I smile. "Okay, enjoy your show!" I say.

She goes to her room to get ready for work. I sit and watch Brawny attempt to hold every Pokémon at once, which looks quite easy for him, expect Talonflame keeps squawking and flapping her wings when he tries to grab her. I chuckle at the sight. Darius stops playing with Eevee and pulls her back into her ball. He also then pulls back the rest of his Pokémon, much to Brawny's disappointment.

"Hey bud," he says. "Mind if I take a shower? I am suddenly very aware of how grubby I am."

I nod. "Yeah, go for it," I say. "Bathroom is at the end of the hall."

"Thanks!" He walks back there and disappears.

I find myself thinking about Liz and decide to give her a call. She answers and we talk for a while. I then decide to ask her out.

"So, since I'm home, I was wondering if you would like to go out somewhere," I say, turning bright red. _Thank God she can't see me right now_ , I think to myself.

"Oh, certainly," she says. "I have the day off tomorrow, so how about we go out then?"

I smile big. "Okay, sounds good!"

We discuss our date plans, and then she says she has to get back to work. We hang up. Shortly after, exhaustion hits me like a truck and I fall asleep in my recliner.

I wake up to the sound of the front door opening. Mother returns from work with an armful of groceries. I get up groggily and help her bring the food in, stumbling pass a snoring Darius, who is sprawled out on the couch, with Eevee curled up on his chest. Mother makes us a wonderful meal and the evening flies by as we play a board game together. At last, it is time for bed. I offer my bed to Darius, but he refuses.

"I'm accustomed to sleeping on hard surfaces," he says. "I prefer it, actually. Feels more adventurous!"

"All right, then," I say and clear him a space on my bedroom floor for his bedspread. "Just so you know, I'm going out with Liz tomorrow."

Darius grins. "Oh really? Good luck!" he says with a wink.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing," he says, still grinning.

"Hmm…" I think for a bit, then come up with an idea. "Hey, why don't you challenge the gym here while I'm gone? Should be pretty easy for you, but it gives you something to do, and gets you a step closer to when you decide to challenge the Indigo League."

Darius sprawls out on his bedding and looks up at the ceiling. "That sounds like a good idea," he says. "I think I'll do that." He glances at me. "Good night, buddy. I'm beat."

"Good night," I say. The moment my head touches the pillow, I am out.

The next morning, I am awoken by Jaws drooling on my face. The little guy is zonked out next to me and is drooling. I sit up abruptly, knocking Jaws onto the floor. I frantically wipe my face. "Blegh!"

Jaws gets up and looks up at me, confused. I look down at him. "Heh, sorry, bud," I say. I get out of bed and get dressed. Darius is still snoring away, Eevee curled up on his chest, so I decide to let him sleep. I make a hush motion toward Jaws and we sneak out of the room.

Mother was in the kitchen preparing to cook breakfast. She looks at me and smiles. "Good morning!" she says cheerfully. "So I hear you have a date today with Liz!"

I groan. "Where did you hear that?" I ask.

"Liz told me," she says with a big stupid grin. "We ran into each other on my morning run. She's such a lovely girl. You be a perfect gentleman."

I roll my eyes. "Mom, you know I will be."

"I know," she says. "You are your Father's son, after all. He was such a gentleman when he took me out."

At the mention of Father, I decide to tell her what I learned about him. As she prepared breakfast, I fill her in on everything Lugia showed me; the invasion of Awaji, how Father and his men stood against them, how he died a hero, and the destruction of the island at the hand of the guardian. The entire time I spoke, Mother kept a straight face, showing no emotion, continuing to prepare breakfast. When I finished, she stopped, looking straight into the pot, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She turned to me and embraced me. We hug for a minute before she finally pulls away. She looks me in the eyes and smiles. "I have something to show you," she says. "Hand me my purse."

She finishes preparing breakfast as I retrieve her purse. I hand it to her and she rummages through it. She then pulls out a folded piece of paper that looks old and hands it to me. "Read this," she says.

I unfold the paper and read it. My eyes go wide when I see it is a letter from my father! I keep reading:

"My dear Mary,

"First, I want to let you know that I love you and miss you terribly. This war has been draining on me and my men, but thoughts of you and our son help me keep going. I pray you are well and our efforts here are not in vain. Awaji is a beautiful island and I would hate to see it destroyed at the hands of the Sinnoh army. We are doing all we can to prevent that from happening. When this war is over, I would like to show you the beauty of this Pokémon Paradise. It truly is gorgeous.

"How is Crono doing? Tell him I miss him and look forward to playing with him again. When I am out of the Army, Machamp will become his. I look forward to seeing him grow into a strong Pokémon trainer. Perhaps one day, he could even become Champion! He definitely has the heart for it. He truly does care for Pokémon. When I get home, I'll teach him the ropes.

"I miss you both and think of you every day. When this war is over, we will go on vacation. I hear Alola is beautiful in the summer! I love you with all my heart and soul, my dear Mary. Keep taking good care of Crono. See you soon!

"Love always,

Alexander"

I look up at my mother. She finishes serving the food onto plates. "I received that letter the same day I received the Army's letter about your father's death," she says. "He loved you and would be proud to see how you've grown to be a wonderful young man."

I look back at the letter. "Did he really want me to be a Pokémon trainer?" I ask.

Mother shakes her head. "He wanted you to grow up to be whatever you wanted to be," she says. "You were the one who wanted to be a Pokémon trainer."

Darius stumbles in sleepily, rubbing his eyes, and looks at us confused. "Uh… what did I miss?"

I fold up the letter and hand it back to Mother. She sticks it back in her purse and turns to Darius. "Hungry?" she asks. "I've made you all breakfast! Pancakes with Farfetch'd eggs!" She quickly and happily serves them onto individual plates. Darius sleepily takes one and shambles off to the table. I take one as well and sit at the table.

As we eat, Jaws peeks up at my plate, eyeballing my food. I snicker and pat his head. "I suppose you're hungry too!" I say, then get up to get him some food. I return with a plate of a pancake topped with berries. Jaws' eyes get wide and he scarfs the food down.

"Darius," I say. He looks up at me sleepily. "I'm going out with Liz today. Are you going to challenge Whitney?" Darius nods his head slowly. "You're not a morning person, are you?" Darius shakes his head slowly. I chuckle and keep eating.

After I finish, I get up and go get dressed and cleaned up. I have to look my best today! After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I check my Pokégear for the time. It is almost time to meet her, so I finish up and head out into the living room. I stop in the kitchen, where Mother was cleaning up.

"Hey Mom," I say. "Um… I just remembered that I'm a bit short on cash. May I borrow some?"

"Borrow?" she asks. She thinks for a moment, clearly teasing me, then smiles. "Get my purse and take ten-thousand. Don't worry about paying me back, I get my next check today. You just treat her well!"

I smile and nod. "Of course! Thanks, Mom!"

I find her purse, grab the money, then head for the door. "Bye, Darius!" I say. He just raises a hand and gives a short wave, clearly still sleepy. I bolt out the door.

I approach Liz' door and give it a quick courteous knock. _Ha, I'm so nervous, even my knock is polite,_ I think to myself. I straighten my shirt and wait patiently. After a few moments, the door opens and there stands Liz. My eyes widen as I marvel in her beauty. She is even more stunning than I remember; those gorgeous sapphire eyes, the shimmering copper hair, smooth fair skin, and a lovely blue dress. She is radiant!

Liz obviously notices me noticing and smiles. "Hi there!"

I snap out of my trance and clear my throat. "Hey," I say. "You look… beautiful."

Liz smiles and jokingly gives me a curtsy. "Thank you," she says. "You look quite handsome yourself."

I try to keep myself composed, but I feel my cheeks burn slightly. "Heh, thanks."

An awkward silence falls for a few seconds, then out of the corner of my eye, I notice a familiar black and yellow figure next to us. I look down and Jaws is staring up at us, smiling. I scratch my head, wondering when he got here. I kneel down and pat his head. "Hey buddy," I say.

Liz kneels down and looks at him. "Hey, remember me?" she asks. Jaws stares at her for a moment, then nods. "Aww, awesome! I remember you too!"

"Hey buddy," I say again. "We're going out together, just me and her. Mind staying home?"

Jaws looks down, sad. Seeing him that way, I feel a little sad and guilty for making him stay home. "Don't worry, I'll be home later today and I'll bring you a present, okay?"

Liz looks over at me. "He can come along," she says. "I don't mind!"

"Are you sure?" I ask.

Liz nods. "We're going to the fair at the National Park," she says. "There will be things for Pokémon as well!"

"Well, if you don't mind!" I say happily. "Come on, buddy!"

We stand up and Liz smiles at me. "You're so cute." I burn red.

We walk side by side, talking. I tell her about some of the things I encountered during my trip, like the attack in Ecruteak City and how I briefly met the Indigo Champion Lance (Liz appears to swoon a little at the mention of his name, to which I feel a twitch of jealousy), the strange pirate girl and the Team Rocket agents in Olivine, and meeting the Guardian of Awaji, Lugia. She listens intently and finds it fascinating, asking many questions about the guardian. I do not tell her everything, like the stuff with my father. It is quite personal and I do not feel ready to share that with anyone outside Mother and Darius. Besides, it is meant to be a happy day and I do not want to spoil it with somber stories.

Jaws trails behind us, collecting various flowers. He skips around happily, stopping only to pluck a flower, and follows along. He is acting weird, even for him, and I wonder what got into him. I listen as Liz talks about her job and the weirdos that come in every day. She says she gets all kinds of people coming for the Bug-Catching Contest; bikers, picnickers, Pokéfans, and even Pokémaniacs. She says the Pokémaniacs are the weirdest, because they typically come in dressed as a Pokémon. She once had a guy come in dressed as a Lickitung and ask her out. That was a bizarre day for her.

At last, we arrive at the National Park. We enter the gate and are greeted by a young man with glasses. "Welcome to the… oh, it's you, Liz!" He stands up straight and looks flushed. "Nice… to see you… Liz!"

Liz smiles. "Nice to see you, Gordon," she says. "We're here for the fair."

Gordon pushes his glasses up and straightens his tie. "Ah, yes, well, since you get an employee discount, that will be five hundred per person." I start thinking this guy might be crushing on Liz. I do not blame him.

I hand him the money and he looks at me with narrowed eyes. "Ah, and who is your friend, Liz?"

Liz smiles and pulls me close. "This is Crono, my boyfriend," she says happily. My heart slams against my ribcage at the word.

"Oh, I see," Gordon says, clearly disappointed. "Well, yes, um… you two have fun, I suppose."

Liz nods. "Thank you, Gordon! Take care!"

I look back at Gordon, then at Liz. "He was the Lickitung, wasn't he?" I joke.

"Shhh!" she hushes me, giggling.

We exit the entryway, leaving a sullen Gordon behind us. After we go through the door, we are presented with a glorious layout of rides, games, and food stands. Many people wander about, laughing and having fun. I look about in awe, feeling excited. This will be a great day!

Jaws tugs on my shorts. I look down and he reaches up with the bouquet of flowers he had been picking. I take it from him and he points to Liz, who is still admiring the scenery. I silently thank him and nod. I tap Liz on the shoulder. She turns to me and I present the flowers to her.

"Oh, thank you!" she says, taking them. "They're beautiful!" She takes a sniff, then cocks her head. "Aren't these the ones Jaws was picking?"

I laugh and scratch the back of my head. "Yeah," I confess. "He wanted me to give them to you."

Liz smiles. "Isn't that sweet!" She looks at Jaws. "Thank you."

"So what would you like to do first?" I ask.

Liz looks around and spots something she likes. "How about those?" she says, pointing to a ride.

I raise an eyebrow. "The Pokéballs?" I ask. "Isn't that a children's ride?"

"Don't judge me," she says, grinning. "It's always been my favorite ride!"

I laugh. "All right, let's go!"

We get in line for the ride. The ride has several open Pokéballs for riders to sit in. When it is our turn, we get into a giant Pokéball and sit. Jaws sits between us and I buckle him in. The ride starts and we start moving around in a circle. I look at Liz and she has this big silly, yet adorable grin on her face.

"Just wait," she says.

The ride moves around faster and faster and our Pokéball starts to spin from the movement. Liz grabs the big wheel in the middle. She turns it and our Pokéball starts spinning faster. I get pushed back against the seat as Liz spins us faster. Jaws puts his arms up, eyes closed and mouth wide open, clearly enjoying the ride. Liz looks up at me.

"Grab the wheel!" she shouts. "Let's see how fast we can make it spin!"

The look of pure joy on her face melts my heart and I grin. "All right!" I grab the wheel and the two of us spin it as hard as we can, making the giant Pokéball spin intensely fast. We laugh and cheer, while Jaws waves his arms in the air and kicks his feet. The world around us smears into one giant streaked blur. We spin the ride so fast, that we do not even notice that the ride had ended. The Pokéball grinds to a slow, and then stops. We laugh as we unbuckle ourselves. As we get off, the world still spins around us and we hold each other for support. Poor Jaws wobbles all over the place and finally grabs my leg and clings to it, eyes closed tight. We stumble over to a bench and sit down until the world stops spinning.

"You see why that's my favorite ride now?" she asks, still laughing.

I just nod, still high from endorphins. After we both finally settle down, I look down at Jaws, who was still clinging to my leg. "Hey buddy," I say. "You can open your eyes now."

Jaws slowly opens his eyes and looks around. He legs go of my leg and walks around. I suddenly realize that Liz and I are still holding onto each other. I look at her and she looks back. We get lost in the moment and just gaze into each other's eyes. Finally, I blink and snap out of it. I glance down at Jaws. He is staring up at us with hearts in his eyes. I shake my head and take my arm from around Liz.

"SO!" I say, nonchalantly. "What would you like to do next?"

Liz looks around and thinks. "I'm kind of hungry," she says. "Let's look for something to eat."

"Really?" I ask. "After that?"

"Yep!" And with that, she jumps up and starts heading toward the food stands. I watch her for a moment, entranced, before Jaws pushes me to follow her. We catch up and walk around, looking at the food. Everything looks delicious and smells wonderful. Liz looks around and spots a stand serving up nachos. She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the nacho stand.

"Oooooh!" she says, looking over the food. "Two please!"

"Make it three," I say, noticing Jaws drooling, and hand him the money.

The guy hands us three servings of nachos and Liz digs in. I hand one to Jaws, who also digs in. I start eating mine, when I hear Liz making yummy sounds. I look at her and she looks back. "One of my guilty pleasures," she says. "Don't judge me!"

I laugh and eat my nachos. The creamy cheese is hot and delicious. We walk around, eating our nachos, and look at the prize games. A game with a forest motif catches Liz' eye and she runs up to it. She looks over the assortment of prizes, all plush versions of various forest Pokémon, such as Beedrill, Sudowoodo, Paras, and Noctowl, but Liz has her attention on a big green Pokémon I do not recognize. It has a bulbous head with big eyes, a small body, and wings. It is kind of cute.

"I want that one," she says, pointing to the green doll. "Can you win that for me?"

"I can try," I say. I turn to the guy. "How do you play this game?"

"Well, son," he says, "the object of the game is to catch the rarest of Pokémon! This Pokémon has never been seen before and it's up to you to find it!"

"Hmm…" I look around. "If it's never been seen before, how do you know what it looks like?"

The guy frowns. "Do you want to play or not, kid?"

I frown at the "kid" remark. "Here," I say, slapping five hundred into his hand. He smirks and hands me a basket with ten balls.

"Whatever Pokémon you hit, you get to choose one from them as a prize," the guy says. "Good luck, kid!" He turns the game on.

The game whirrs and various images of Pokémon move around the stand. Beedrills and Noctowls fly around, while Spinarak and Paras scurry across the ground and trees. I look around, looking for the green Pokémon Liz wants. At last, I spot it peeking out from behind a bush and I start throwing balls. It darts around really fast, disappearing before my ball makes it to its location. Finally, I run out of balls, only having hit a Beedrill by mistake. The guy shuts the game off and hands me my little Beedrill plush. "Have a nice day!" he says cockily.

"It's okay," Liz says. "These fair games are always rigged."

"No no," I say, and hand the guy another five hundred. "One more time."

The guy takes the money, hands me another basket, and turns the game on. I take the basket and watch closely, waiting for the green Pokémon to appear. At last it does, but I sit and wait, watching it closely. After about a minute, I recognize its pattern and toss the entire basket's contents at its location. A ball hits it.

"Yes!" I shout. "Haha, take that!"

The guy's jaw drops. "You can't do that!"

"Show me the rules that says I can't," I say cockily.

The guy growls. "Fine, kid, take it!" He hands me the giant green doll.

"Thank you!" I say, taking it. I then hand it to Liz. "For you, my dear."

"Oh, why thank you, kind sir," she says, giggling. The doll is huge and she squeezes it as we leave the fuming carnie behind. "That was great!"

I feign smugness. "Just a trick I picked up," I joke.

As we walk around, I decide to ask her about the doll. "I've never seen a Pokémon like that before," I say. "Why did you want it so much?"

Liz looks at the sky. "It's from a fairy tale my grandfather used to read me as a bedtime story," she says. "It's called 'The Voice of the Forest'. The Pokémon is called 'Celebi', and it is said to be the guardian of the Ilex Forest. The story was about a young girl who was lost in the forest. The girl meets Celebi and it helps her find her way. They become friends, until one day, when she's older, some people come trying to cut down the forest. Their recklessness causes the forest to catch fire, destroying the homes of many Pokémon. The girl seeks out Celebi and begs her to help. Celebi then disappears, leaving the forest to burn."

"What a sad story," I say.

"Oh, it has a happy ending," she says. "Celebi had travelled in time to back when the girl was younger, and warned her of the danger. When the time came for the people to cut down the trees, the girl was ready, along with her village, and they kept the people away. The forest was saved, and the girl built a shrine within the forest dedicated for Celebi."

"Wow, that is a happy ending!" I say. "I'll have to read it."

Liz smiles. "It's been my favorite story my whole life," she says. "I read it every now and then. It reminds me of my grandfather."

"You really loved him, huh?" I ask.

"He raised me when my parents died in the war," she says. "They were in Saffron City when it got attacked. I was eight."

"I know how you feel," I say, placing a gentle hand upon her shoulder. "I lost my father in the war too. Seems there's a lot of that around here."

Liz smiles at me. "It's okay," she says. "Let's find another ride!"

We walk around and find one called "The Pokémon Experience". This particular ride advertises that it allows us to experience what Pokémon do when inside a Pokéball, and they have several available.

"Let's try this one," she says. "It sounds fun!"

I talk to the woman behind the counter and she explains the ride to us. "This is less a ride and more an experience," she says. "You get inside and you get to know what it is like inside a Pokéball for various Pokémon. Will you try it?"

I look at Liz, who nods. "Yeah, sure," I say. It does not sound very fun to me, but Liz wants to, so I pay the woman one thousand. While Liz was preoccupied looking at the big Pokéballs, I lean over to the lady and whisper "So which one would you recommend for us?"

The lady thinks for a moment, then nods. "How about a Noctowl experience?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Noctowl? Really?"

"Trust me," she says with a wink. I shrug and nod.

Liz and I enter our Pokéball and it closes on us. The ball is spacious and comfortable. The image of a night sky with a full moon explodes around us. The sound of a river trickles in the background and it appears like we are sitting on a large tree branch. Liz and I both gasp in awe.

"This is pretty amazing," I say.

"Beautiful!" Liz says.

I look at Liz and she looks back. We gaze into each other's eyes and smile. I slowly reach over and take her hand in mine, and our fingers intertwine. Liz looks longingly at me. I inch closer to her. She leans toward me slightly and closes her eyes. Her lips look enticing and I find myself drawn to them, like a Venomoth to a Charmander's tail. I move closer and closer, and just as I am mere millimeters from her, I cannot help but notice Jaws out of the corner of my eye. He is sitting there, staring at us, with hearts in his eyes. I groan. Liz opens her eyes, notices Jaws' dreamy look, and blushes. She clears her throat and I pretend the image of the tree branch is highly interesting.

At last, the ride ends and the ball opens. We get out and continue our fun-filled day at the fair. The day draws to an end and we walk home, prizes and more nachos in hand. We talk as we walk home, and Jaws trails behind, teasing the Poliwag in the pond with his nachos. We finally get to our apartment complex and ride the elevator up to the third floor. We stop in front of her door and look at each other.

"I had a great time today," she says.

"Me too," I say.

She squeezes her giant Celebi doll. "I'll be snuggling with this tonight and thinking of you," she says warmly.

I hold up my little Beedrill doll. "Yeah, I won't be snuggling with this, but I'll still think of you."

Liz chuckles. Just then, we hear footsteps coming down the hall. We turn to look and see Darius slowly walking down the hall. I wave at him.

"Hey buddy!" I call out. "How's it going? How did your battle with Whitney go?"

Darius drags his feet up to us and stops. He then slowly looks up at me. "I..." he stammers. "I… lost?"

The news stuns me. With how good he is, I never thought Darius could lose to Whitney. I know she is tough, but he was almost the Unova champion! He beat their Elite Four! How could he lose to a mere gym leader?

I wish Liz a good night. She smiles and kisses me on the cheek. Normally, I would spontaneously combust, but I am more concerned about Darius. I guide Darius inside my apartment as he just shuffles his feet. The poor guy looks really bummed.

We sit on the couch and I fetch us some water. I sit next to him, handing him is water, and ask "So what happened?"

He does not take his eyes off the floor. "I… don't know," he says. "I obliterated her Clefairy easily, but when her Miltank came out, it Body Slammed Talonflame into paralysis. It somehow survived her Brave Bird attack, healed with Milk Drink, then used Roll Out. I know it's a Rock-type move, and Talonflame is double-weak to Rock, but I didn't realize Miltank could learn that. Talonflame went down… and the rest of my Pokémon couldn't do a thing. She rolled over them all."

I place a gentle hand upon his shoulder. I try to console him, but as he sits there, feeling sorry for himself, a revelation dawns upon me, and suddenly, the words Lugia spoke to him makes sense. *Do not neglect them. Raise them well, and you will achieve that which you desire.* As I remember this, I also realize that I have never seen Darius use his other Pokémon in battle. So that is what Lugia meant!

"Darius," I say. "I think this is what Lugia meant."

Darius lifts his head and looks at me. "What?"

"Remember?" I remind him. "It said not to neglect your Pokémon."

"Hey!" he shouts. "I take damn good care of my Pokémon!"

"No, bud," I say. "Not neglect in the abusive sense. It meant in training. How often do you use your Pokémon in battle aside from Talonflame?"

"I…" Darius starts, but then hesitates. I think he finally realizes it as well. "You… you're right. I only ever seem to use Talonflame. I guess I just never saw a need to use the others. Plus, she is my favorite… I really HAVE been neglecting the others."

"What happened in the battle with the Unova Champion?" I ask. "You know… uh… whats-his-name."

"Alder," he says. "It came pretty close. I took out his Accelgor fast, followed by his Escavalier, then Vanilluxe, and finally, his Volcarona. Three Bug-types and an Ice-type don't do so well against a Fire/Flying-type. Then his Bouffalant came out, which was not much different than a Tauros, but it had Stone Edge. Fortunately, Talonflame easily dodged those and took it out. Finally, his Druddigon came out and that was where we lost. Every time Talonflame hit it, she would injure herself on its rough hide, and fire doesn't do much to Dragons. She ended up wearing herself out. The rest of my Pokémon just couldn't cut it. I didn't even bother using Eevee. I would hate to see her shiny coat ruined."

I nod. "There's the problem," I say. "You rely too much of Talonflame, and you've forgotten the rest of your team. They are there to help you out as well."

Darius suddenly stands up, fists balled. "You're right!" he shouts. "Crono, thank you! I needed that!" He starts heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"We have training to do!" he says, full of energy. "It's time I stop neglecting my team!"

I stand up. "You should probably get some rest," I suggest. "We're headed to Kanto tomorrow, remember?"

"I'll be fine," he says. "Besides, how am I supposed to train you if I can't even train myself?" He throws the door open. "It's go time!" With that, he is gone.

I stare at the door and find myself worried about him. I sure hope he does not overdo it, but at least he is not feeling down anymore. I look at Jaws, who is playing with Cyndaquil on the recliner. Jaws pops the footrest and it sends Cyndaquil flying towards me. I catch her, surprised, and she cries happily. I cuddle her, but my mind is on Darius. I quietly pray he stays safe.

The evening is quiet without Darius around. Mother makes some dinner and asks where Darius is. I inform her of what happened. She simply nods and puts a serving in the refrigerator for him later. We watch television as we eat, watching shows like "Two Perfect Girls" and "Who's That Pokémon?!" As it gets later and later, Mother eventually goes to bed, but I stay up, waiting for Darius. As the clock ticks pass midnight, I grow sleepy. Jaws and Cyndaquil are curled up together on the couch, sleeping. I decide to wait for Darius just a little longer. An hour later, and Darius is still not back, I give up and head to bed.

I awake to voices in the kitchen. I stumble out of bed and shamble toward my dresser. I throw some clothes on, then grab my Pokégear and check the time. "7:11 am", the clock reads.

"Ugh," I groan. I did not get much sleep worrying about Darius, but I am up now, so I head to the kitchen to see what the commotion is. To my surprise, I find Liz cooking breakfast with Mother, and they are chatting away. Liz notices me and smiles.

"Good morning!" she says, beaming.

I feel a smile spread across my face. "Good morning!"

"Hungry?" she asks.

"Very," I reply and sit at the table. I look around and notice Darius' absence. Was he out all night?

Liz brings out three plates of food and sits next to me, handing me one and placing one for Jaws, who leaps up from nowhere and begins to scarf it down. I look at Liz, who looks positively ravishing. Mother comes to the table and the four of us eat our meals. We talk for a bit, and I learn that Mother and Liz ran together this morning, then Mother invited her over for breakfast. I also learn they talked about our date yesterday.

"I told you to be a perfect gentleman!" Mother says to me.

"I was!" I say defensively.

Mother chuckles. "That you were," she says. Liz giggles.

After breakfast, Liz and I clean up in the kitchen, clearing the counters, wiping down the stove, and washing the dishes. Even doing mundane things with Liz is enjoyable and I keep stealing glances at her, which she obviously notices. Once we finish, I tell her my plans for today.

"We're going to catch the Magnet Train and ride it to Saffron City," I explain, "or at least, that was the plan, if Darius ever comes back."

"He's still out training, huh?" Liz asks.

"I hope that's what he's doing," I say. "I'm beginning to worry."

"Well, how about I help you pack for your trip while you wait for him?" she suggests.

I nod. "Sure, that works," I say.

We head to my room and begin packing my backpack with clothes and supplies I will need for my trip. We talk and enjoy each other's company while we pack, and just as we are about finished, we hear the front door slam open. We run out into the living room and to our surprise, we see Darius standing in the doorway. He looks worn out, but ecstatic. His eyes are filled with a renewed determination, a fire reignited. He looks at me with a fierce gaze and walks to me with purpose. He stops in front of me and, without saying a word, reaches into his pocket and hold out the Plain Badge.

"You did it!" I say happily. "Way to go!"

Darius clutches the badge in his fist. "It was a long night, but we did it," he says, "and I didn't even use Talonflame."

"We were worried about you," Liz says. "Where did you go?"

"I spent most of the night training in the Ilex Forest," he says. "Some bizarre things happen in there at night, but my Pokémon are now stronger, and…" He reaches into his pocket and pulls out Eevee's ball. He tosses it into the air and the ball pops open. In a brilliant flash, I hear an unfamiliar cry, one that is most definitely not Eevee's, and instead of Darius' precious silver-coated Eevee appearing, in her place, stands a shiny blue and white quadruped creature with long ears and bright pink eyes. Ribbon-like appendages wrap around her ears and neck. The creature is quite beautiful.

"Eevee evolved!" Darius says happily. "Say 'hello' to Sylveon!"


	7. Chapter 7: Onward!

Darius looks thrilled with his new Pokémon, and it is easy to see why. She looks amazing. I have never seen an Eevee evolution like that before and wonder how it happened. I only know of five evolutions, but apparently, Eevee has even more. I wonder just how many more.

"It's so pretty," Liz says. "I've heard rumors of new Eevee evolutions, but never seen any. What type is it now?"

"Well, in Kalos, where I'm from, there have been studies of a new type of Pokémon being discovered," Darius explains. "Not much is known about it, but it has been dubbed 'Fairy'. That is what Sylveon is." Darius frowns. "I'm happy to have one, but with the type still being researched, I don't know much about it, such as strengths and weaknesses, which will make battling with her quite difficult."

"Oh, you're from Kalos?" Liz asks. "I've always wanted to visit there! Especially Geosenge Town!" Darius gives her a confused look. "I like mysterious places."

I look at Liz. "Well, maybe we can go there someday," I say, slightly turning red after I realize what I just suggested.

Liz smiles. "I'd love that," she says.

Darius continues. "Anyway, because she was so awesome in battle against Whitney's Miltank, I've decided to name her 'Slayer'!" Darius grins.

Liz and I blink. "That's… quite the name," I say with a straight face. Liz snorts a bit, but otherwise maintains her composure.

Darius does not seem to notice and kneels down to stroke Sylveon. He looks happy, which in turn makes me happy.

Liz and I say our good-byes. After she leaves, I help Darius prepare for our trip to Kanto. He gets cleaned up while I ensure we have enough supplies. When he gets cleaned up, he double-checks his bag. I say good-bye to Cyndaquil and Hoot-Hoot, top off their food dishes, then motion for Jaws to come, who is watching the cooking channel on television, drooling.

We head to the Magnet Train station. The station has many people waiting for the next departure. The Magnet Train is a recent addition to Goldenrod City. It was built a year ago to help bring Kanto and Johto closer together and make travel between the two regions easier. Now, instead of traveling around Mount Silver and through Tohjo Falls or spending a day on a ship to go from Olivine to Vermillion, we can go through Mount Silver from Goldenrod to Saffron in only two hours. It is much more convenient and has brought the two regions together closer than ever. Regional imports and exports still go by ship, but there are plans to implement a cargo line parallel to the Magnet Train to help expedite the shipment of goods. Our relationship with Kanto has grown stronger than ever and the thought of our tight alliance brings me joy and a sense of security.

At the ticket station, the lady behind the counter greets us warmly. "Good morning!" she says. "Welcome to the Magnet Train! Our next departure is in ten minutes! How many will be traveling today?"

"Three please," I say.

The woman looks around, then looks at Jaws and nods. "Ah, I see," she says. "So you know, Pokémon travel free, even if they are outside their balls. The train provides plenty of space for many Pokémon to enjoy. So do you still need three?"

I smile. "That's good to know, thank you! We only need two then."

The woman nods and taps on her keyboard. "That will be ten thousand, please."

Darius gently nudges me aside. "This is on me, bud!" he says enthusiastically. I do not argue. He has been in an exceptionally good mood since coming back.

Darius pays and the woman prints our tickets for us. She smiles and motions toward the waiting area. "Departure will be in eight minutes. Please enjoy your trip and thank you for using the Magnet Train!"

I wave and we head to the waiting area. I play with Jaws by tossing berries at him as he juggles them. We manage to get up to six before he fumbles and drops them all. Darius tinkers with his new Pokégear, trying to learn all its features. Before we know it, the train is ready and they start letting people board. We get inside and find seating almost immediately.

The train is surprisingly spacious and the seats are comfortable. There are many people on board, but it does not feel cramped. Everyone appears to have plenty of elbow room. Jaws seems to really enjoy the seat as he bounces up and down on it. Above us, a chime rings out and a female voice speaks. "Welcome to the Magnet Train," she says. "For your safety, please sit in your seats and buckle your seatbelt. The Magnet Train can obtain speeds up to 340 miles per hour. The train will spend the first ten minutes of the trip accelerating to that speed and the last twenty minutes of the trip decelerating. During this time, we ask you remain seated and buckled. After the seatbelt sign turns off, you are free to get up from your seats and walk around. Thank you, and enjoy your trip!"

I calm Jaws down and get him buckled in. Darius sits across the aisle from us, snoring. Poor guy was up all night and must be exhausted, so I decide to not bother him. The train starts to move and I look out the window to watch us gain speed. The buildings of Goldenrod soon disappear and the forest engulfs us. Soon, the view becomes an uninteresting streak of green. After a few minutes, the seatbelt light goes off. Jaws has started napping as well and I find myself alone. I decide to get up and walk around a bit, and the moment I stand up, I realize I need to use the restroom. I walk down the aisle toward the restroom at the front end of the car, and just before I open the door, I catch a glimpse of someone familiar through the window of the door leading to the front car. I look through and my eyes go wide as I recognize the person as Pirate Girl! What is she doing here?

I shake my head and decide it would be best to not make contact. After all, she has not really done anything that I know of, but I do find her suspicious nonetheless, especially after our contact with her in Olivine City coinciding with the shutting down of all international ships. She also told us to not get in her way, which makes her even more suspicious to me. As I enter the restroom, I decide to avoid contact, but remain conscious of her presence, in case something else goes wrong. When I finish my business, I return to my seat, tune my Pokégear radio to the Jigglypuff Station, and enjoy the tunes as I stare out the window, watching the scenery speed by.

Before I know it, the seatbelt sign chimes back on. Darius wakes up, yawns, and stretches. He looks over at me. "Hey bud," he says sleepily. "Are we there yet?"

I shake my head. "The seatbelt light came on, so I assume we're twenty minutes out."

He nods lazily and stares at the back of the seat in front of him. "That was a nice nap," he says, "but it wasn't long enough."

Jaws stirs next to me and wakes up. He looks up at me and smiles. I smile back. "Almost there, buddy," I assure him.

I look back out the window. The scenery is still speeding past us, and I notice it does not seem to be slowing down. I check the time on my Pokégear and it dawns on me. We should be slowing down, but we are not. I look at Darius, who does not seem to notice. I look around and see people murmuring to each other casually, also not noticing. As I think about it, a sinking lump of concern sticks in my chest. If we do not start slowing now, we will not be able to brake in time. Then suddenly, I remember Pirate Girl. This is the second time her presence has coincided with trouble and I feel it is no coincidence. I get up from my seat and run down the aisle. I look through the window and sure enough, Pirate Girl is gone. My eyes go wide and I run back to Darius.

"Hey!" I whisper to him. "Something's wrong!"

Darius sits upright, looking alert. "What's up?" he asks.

"Remember Pirate Girl?" I ask. He nods. "She's here, and now it seems like the train isn't slowing down!"

"What?!" Darius shouts loudly. People look at him from around the train.

"Shhh!" I hush him. "Not so loud, you'll cause a panic!"

Darius clears his throat. "Okay," he says quietly. "So what do we do?"

"I don't know," I admit, "but if this train doesn't slow down, we'll crash. The track doesn't go past Saffron."

Darius frowns, thinking. "Let's talk with the driver," he suggests, getting up.

I motion Jaws over and the three of us make our way to the front of the train. Around us, people start looking concerned, murmuring to each other, and I feel the tension in the air starting to rise. I keep looking around for Pirate Girl, but I do not see her anywhere. When we reach the driver's cabin, I knock on the door. The driver does not respond. I cautiously check the door and find it unlocked. I open the door and find Pirate Girl standing over an unconscious man wearing a driver's uniform. She looks back at us and her eyes go wide.

"I knew it!" I shouted, bursting into the cabin.

"No!" she shouts back. "Get out! You'll only get in my way!"

I grab her and throw her against the wall. "What have you done?!" I scream.

As I interrogate her, Darius runs over to check the driver. Pirate Girl glares at me. She struggles to push me away, but adrenaline flows through my veins and I keep her pinned against the wall. "It is not what it looks like!" she shouts into my face. "Now get off me before you get us all killed!"

I stare at her right in the eyes. "Jaws! Get over here!" I shout. Jaws comes to my side and glowers at the woman. "You undo whatever you did to this train now, or I swear I'll feed you to him!" Jaws looks up at her, menacingly gnashing his massive teeth.

Darius pulls the driver out of the seat, leans him against the wall, and checks his vitals. "He's still alive," he says. "He's just knocked out."

I glance over at Darius for a moment, but within that moment, Pirate Girl grabs my arm and wrenches it, turning me around and twisting my arm behind my back. She slams me against the console and plants her knee against my back.

"I haven't done anything to this train," she says. She then lets me go. "Now, if you are finished, get out! Every second wasted is a second closer we get to our deaths."

I rub my shoulder and glare at her. "What's going on?" I demand.

Pirate Girl gets behind the controls and glances over the console. "This train is on a collision course with a mountain," she explains impatiently. "If I don't get this train stopped soon, we'll be nothing but a flaming crater on a mountainside. Now please! If you have nothing to contribute, GET OUT!"

I shake my head. "No," I say. "We are here to stop this train too. If you know how to stop it, let us help."

Pirate Girl growls. "The brakes have been destroyed," she explains. "Unless you have any contributing ideas, just stay out of my way."

The direness of the situation suddenly hits me. There are at least a hundred people on this train, plus their Pokémon, and if we do not find a way to stop this train soon, every single one of them will die.

I look over at Darius, who is making the unconscious driver comfortable. He lays him down gently, then folds up the driver's coat, which was hanging on the back on his seat, and lays in under his head. I rummage around the cockpit and find a map of Kanto. I study it quickly. The rail appears to have about five miles of extra track before stopping at Rock Mountain. I continue rummaging and find a train manual. I flip through and find information on the brake system. I glance over at Pirate Girl, who is tinkering with the console. Darius glances over her shoulder, offering random bits of advice while she continuously tries to shoo him away in vain. The manual shows a diagram of the brake system. Even better, it shows there are emergency brakes between every car! If we activate those, we just might be able to stop this train in time!

"Darius!" I shout excitedly.

He looks up and runs over. I hold out the manual and show him the diagram. He looks it over and immediately he understands the plan. "Got it, buddy!" he says. "We can do this!"

I look over at Pirate Girl. "Hey Pirate Girl!" I shout.

"My name is Jess, not 'Pirate Girl'!" she growls. "What do you want?"

"Have you turned the throttle all the way down?" I ask.

"I've been trying," she says. "It's stuck. I can't pull it down."

I run over and try pulling it down myself. It is definitely stuck. I grab Brawny's ball. If anyone is strong enough to pull it down, it is him. I toss his ball and he jumps out, ready for action, and the cabin immediately gets really cramped.

"Brawny!" I say. "We need to stop this train. Grab that handle and pull it down all the way!"

"Ma-CHAMP!" he shouts. He grabs the throttle and pulls as hard as he can. After a couple seconds of pulling, I hear a loud crack and Brawny falls backward, slamming into the cockpit door. He looks dumbfounded as he looks at the broken throttle handle in his hand. "Ma…Champ?" he says with a goofy grin. I face palm.

"Good going," Jess groans.

Brawny gets up and stomps to the console. With a mighty fist, he punches straight through the console and rips out a massive handful of wires, mechanical components, and scrap metal. The train lags and we all lurch forward. The train has stopped accelerating!

"Yes!" Darius shouts. "Good job, Brawny!"

Jess stares, dumbstruck. "Well, that… worked."

Suddenly, we are struck with a bright light and we are momentarily blinded. We exit the mountain tunnel that passes through Indigo Plateau and are now passing through Viridian Forest.

"We're almost to Saffron City!" Jess shouts. "We need to stop this train NOW!"

"Brawny ripped the throttle out," Darius says. "Won't the train stop on its own now?"

"We are going 340 miles per hour on a MAGNET train!" Jess explains, highly annoyed.

I look at Darius. "Because it is run on magnets, there is very little friction to slow us down," I explain. "The emergency brakes will apply that friction."

Darius nods with understanding. "Got it," he says. "Let's hit those brakes!"

Darius opens the cabin door, only to come face-to-face with the train Marshall, who looks like he was about to knock. He looks at Darius, who looks right at his Marshall's badge, who then looks pass Darius to see a pirate in the driver seat, a giant Machamp holding a crushed ball of mechanical parts, and an unconscious driver lying next to me. For a moment, everything went silent. Then Darius slams the door in the Marshall's face.

"This is bad," Darius says.

The Marshall starts pounding on the door. "Open this door immediately!" he shouts.

Darius holds his body against the door and Jaws runs over to help him, keeping the Marshall out. "What do we do?!" he panics.

Jess gets up and walks over to Darius. "Move!" she growls. "I'll handle this."

Darius and Jaws step aside and Jess opens the door. The Marshall glowers down at her as she attempts to talk to him. "Hey there, Marshall," she says in the sweetest tone she has mustered since we first encountered her. "We are doing our best to get this train under control and saves all these innocent people." She touches his jacket in a flirtatious, and nauseating, way. "Want to, oh I don't know, maybe help us out?"

The Marshall narrows his eyes. "The driver is unconscious, there's a giant hole in the console, and you are dressed like a pirate," he says. "You expect me to believe anything you say?"

Jess loses the flirty look and returns to normal. "Right, shouldn't have expected that to work," she says. "Plan B then." She grabs the Marshall by the throat, pulls him inside, and karate chops in the back of the neck. The Marshall goes down instantly.

"Wow, nice," I say.

Jess points at us. "Get out there and hit those brakes NOW!"

I nod. "Right, let's go!"

Darius stares at Jess. "Never before have I been so turned on…"

"Brawny, get him," I say, groaning. Brawny grabs Darius with a meaty hand and drags him out the door. Jaws follows close behind us.

We run through the car, speeding passed panicky passengers, and reach the first car junction. I slide the door open and look around. "According to the manual, there should be a wheel around here to apply the brakes," I explain. We look around, but we do not find anything that looks like a wheel. I flip through the manual again, while Brawny climbs out, looking for the wheel. At last, he shouts out, pointing to the top of the car. There, on the outside edge of the car roof, was a giant wheel.

"That's it!" I shout. "There! Darius, the wheels are located on the roof… which is the DUMBEST place for an emergency brake. Who designed this?!"

Darius scratches his head. "I'll go to the next car and get that one," he says. I nod and watch him pass through to the next car.

"Jaws, go with him and help," I say. Jaws skips after Darius.

I look at Brawny. "Let's go up and get that wheel," I say. "Think you can get it?"

Brawny nods and starts to climb the ladder leading to the roof. The deafening sound of wind rushing by and trees flying by us as we pass through the forest makes it difficult to hear even Brawny's loud mouth, but he shouts at me anyway with understanding. He jumps onto the roof and starts turning the wheel. I faintly hear the creaking of the wheel being turned, and below me, I notice giant metal clamps moving toward the rail. I look back up at Brawny. "Almost there, buddy!" I shout. Just a little more…"

I hear a loud crack as a low-hanging tree branch slams into Brawny's back and he disappears. My eyes widen and my heart stops. I peer over the edge and see Brawny tumbling over the top of the train, over the edge, and then he is gone. I feel my heart explode and tears erupt from my eyes.

"BRAWNY!" I cry, but it is no use. He is gone.

I punch the train wall as hard as I can. I feel my knuckles crack from the blow, but I do not care. In that instant, I feel like I just lost my entire world, and nothing mattered anymore. After the moment passes, I remember the rest of the people on this train, and how they all mean the world to someone out there as well. This train still needs to be stopped, so I swallow my pain and finish the job. I grab the wheel and turn with all my might. I feel the wheel stop and I hear the grinding of metal on metal. The train lags again and I grip the wheel tightly to keep from being thrown off.

I climb the ladder back down and open the door to the next car. I feel weak, but I trudge on. Around me, people and Pokémon are panicking, looking out their windows, and screaming. The Meowth is out of the bag and people realize we are in danger. I ignore the commotion, lost in my own grief, and simply pass through them all, moving to the next car. In the third car, I see Darius and Jaws ahead of me, moving toward the next brake. I catch up to them as Darius starts climbing the ladder to the third brake, followed by Jaws. I glance up at them, but they fail to notice me, focused on the task at hand. I decide to keep moving, to the fourth and final brake in the last car. As I enter, I feel the train lag even more. I grab a seat to keep from getting thrown to the floor and hold myself up. Out the window, I see buildings rush pass us. We have reached Saffron City. I have to hurry to the last brake, or we will smash into Rock Mountain. As I charge toward the last brake, wondering if we will manage to slow down enough to avoid becoming a mountainside crater, the train lags again and I fall to the floor. The train's speed drastically slows and the buildings become less of a blur. The people around me scream as many of them are thrown against the seats and the sound of squealing metal erupts around us. The train slows down even more, and behind me, I hear Jess shouting for people to keep moving toward the back of the train. The whole train shakes and shudders, and I hear the sound of crunched steel. People scream louder and start stampeding into the third car. Finally, the train stops and for the briefest of moments, silence.

I slowly rise from the floor and look around. The world has stopped moving and the people and Pokémon have stopped screaming. In the third car, Jess is dragging the Marshall, followed by a gray and black quadruped Pokémon dragging the driver. She is followed by many other people, some injured, many just frightened. I step forward to help, but my legs give out from under me and I collapse. Darius and Jaws jump down from the ladder and step into the car.

"Whew, that was close," he says with relief.

He looks around and sees Jess dragging the Marshall, and runs over to help. Jaws walks up to me and places a small hand upon my shoulder. I look at him through beaded tears. I reach out and pull him in for a hug. Jaws hugs me back.

"Thank you for your help," I say.

Jaws smiles and nods, then looks around. He looks at me curiously and cocks his head. He flexes his arm, then shrugs. He appears to be asking about Brawny. I look down at the floor. I cannot find the words to tell him. I just pull him in for another hug and hold him.

Darius comes back in, followed by Jess. "So the first car is crushed, but Jess managed to get the people out long before that happened," he says. "We checked for injuries, but all we have are three sprained ankles, a bloody nose, and some pregnant lady's water broke."

I just nod. Jaws struggles against me, so I let him go. He walks up to Darius, tugs on his pants, and points to me. Darius looks at me, then walks up to me and kneels down. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Brawny's gone…" I say.

"What?!" Darius shouts. "How?" I explain it to him and he lowers his eyes. "Oh man… I'm so sorry, bud." He places his hand on my shoulder.

Jess walks over and looks at me. "Thank you for your help," she says genuinely. "I am sorry for your loss."

Suddenly, something bangs against the rear door. People scream and start running past us. I look over as the door bangs again. I stand up and motion Jaws over. I look at him and he nods at me, ready. The door bangs a third time, then finally, the door gets ripped off its hinges. At that moment, my heart pounds against my ribcage and I feel an overwhelming sense of joy as I recognize the silhouette standing in the doorway.

"MACHAMP!" Brawny shouts.

I smile.

My heart explodes with joy and my eyes fill with tears. Brawny steps inside, then sinks to one knee. I rush over to help him. His face is wrenched in pain, but he is clearly trying not to show it. I instinctively check his back and sure enough, there was a large and nasty gash across his shoulders, right below his upper arms.

"Ah, hold on, buddy," I say soothingly. "I'll take care of that. Getting hit by a branch at 340 miles per hour would do that."

I rummage through my bag and pull out a box of gauze from my portable first aid kit. I dab the wound and mop up the blood. It was deep, but it did not bleed that much, which is good. I then pull out a Super Potion and spray it across the wound. Brawny grits his teeth, but holds still. The wound slowly begins to close as the potion works. The wound seals completely, but there is a faint scar left behind. I stand up and offer my hand to Brawny, who takes it and stands too.

"Feel better?" I ask. Brawny nods. "I suppose we have you to thank for getting the last brake?" Brawny nods again. I smile and hug the big lug. "Thanks, buddy. You saved a lot of people and Pokémon."

Jaws walks up to us and hops up and down, excited. Brawny lets me go, then reaches down and picks up Jaws. They laugh and cheer as Brawny dances around the train, causing it to shake.

"Ah, stop!" I shout, and they stop. "We need to get everyone off."

I look back at Darius, who is already working with Jess to activate the emergency evacuation system on the train. Every exit door in the car opens simultaneously and long ladders extend to the ground. Darius and Jess expertly guide people and their Pokémon to the exits, maintaining order and keeping people from panicking. In the distance, I hear sirens and helicopters coming toward us. I pull Brawny's ball out and pull him inside. "Rest up," I say as he goes in.

The police and fire trucks pull up. The emergency workers spread out and get to work. The firemen inspect the damaged portion of the train, while the police assist passengers as the get off. Emergency medical personnel arrive in an ambulance. Darius and Jess are lowering a passenger with a sprained ankle toward a medic. I take a deep breath and help out as well.

Once all the passengers are off, we exit as well. The police go around to different passengers, asking what happened. I hear rustling behind me and notice Jess ducking into the woods. Darius notices as well and we follow after her. After we are clear from police, Jess pulls out a Pokéball and summons her Articuno. Darius suddenly stops, staring at Articuno in awe.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I have no time for the police," she says. "They won't be able to handle what is going on."

"What IS going on?" Darius asks. "Who was behind this attack?"

Jess stares off in the distance. "I don't know exactly what they are up to yet," she says, "but it's huge. Team Rocket was supposed to have been disbanded, but suddenly, they cropped back up. They claim they are looking for their old leader, but where did they suddenly get the funding to pull off these attacks?" Jess looks at us. "I believe their strings are being pulled by another entity. This entity is the one providing them the resources to act, and I WILL find out who."

Darius approaches Jess and her Articuno. "Who exactly are you?" he asks.

Jess takes a deep breath. "I'm a member of Team Aqua, from Hoenn," she says hesitantly. "Two years ago, we tried to stop Team Magma from summoning the legendary Pokémon Groundon, but in doing so, wrought disaster upon Hoenn. To stop Team Magma, we, in turn, summoned Kyogre, the counterpart to Groudon. The two waged battle and almost destroyed the region. It wasn't until a young boy and girl managed to summon the eternal dragon Rayquaza, who came to quell the battle and restored order." Jess looked down. "We saw the error of our ways, and ever since, we've been working to make up for our misdeeds. I have been tasked with investigating Team Rocket's resurgence."

Her story is a bit much to take in, but I get the feeling she is not lying to us. I nod and look her in the eye. "If you need help, we're willing to help," I say.

Jess closes her eyes. "I appreciate the offer," she says, "but this is our burden. We will handle this." Jess looks back at us, and I notice she looks more at Darius than me. "I do appreciate your help today, though. Thank you."

"Do you, ah, think I can get your number?" Darius asks bashfully.

Jess chuckles, but her skin flushes ever so slightly. "You're cool," she says, jumping onto her Articuno. "But not THAT cool." With that, she takes off into the sky.

Darius sighs. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, bud," I say. "I'm sure we'll see her again."

We head back to the train. The Saffron City mayor had sent buses over to help ferry people to the city once the area is cleared by police. We get on a bus and wait until the buses are ready to leave. I get Jaws buckled in and Darius sits across the aisle from us. The bus fills with people slowly as each person is cleared by police. I hand Jaws a small handful of berries, and he munches away silently. I eat a sandwich from the sack lunches the buses were offering to everyone. Darius scarfs his down and then passes out, fast asleep. Jaws follows suit, finishing his berries and going to sleep. I struggle to stay awake, but as the adrenaline leaves my veins, I, too, feel the Drowzee casting its spell on me and soon enough, I am in dreamland.

I awake just as the bus pulls into the station. The driver opens the door for us and the passengers slowly file out. Darius and Jaws are already awake, with Darius preparing for our exit.

"Oh good, you're awake," he says. "We're here!"

I yawn and grab my bag from under my seat. We slowly make our way off the bus. The sun's warmth is blocked by a thick layer of clouds and a cool breeze flows through the buildings of Saffron City. The clouds make it feel later than it actually is. The buildings around us tower over us, and it makes me realize that Goldenrod really was not as big of a city as I thought it was. Saffron City was huge! No wonder it is considered the capitol of Kanto! It is also home to Silph, Co, which I make a note to visit before we head to Vermillion. Darius pulls out a map and looks it over.

"Hey, dude," he says. "This city has TWO gyms!"

"Two gyms?" I repeat. "That's unusual."

"I'll say," he says. "I want to challenge them both!"

"All right," I say, "but afterward, I want to visit Silph, Co. and see what new technology they are coming up with."

"Deal!" he says enthusiastically.

I look down at Jaws. "I think I'll challenge the gyms too," I say. "It could be good practice, and poor Jaws here has been itching for a real battle. He didn't get to fight much at the last one. Also, I curious to see what else Dunsparce can do."

Darius mutters something about Dunsparce is only capable of being ugly, but I pretend I do not hear him. We orient ourselves based on his map, and then we head for the Pokémon Center. The road is packed with people trying to get wherever they need to go; cars driving along the road, people on bicycles, and lots of people on foot crowding the sidewalk. Pidgeys flock on the window sills of the buildings and the occasional Rattata scurries past the crowd. Across the road, I spot the Silph Company headquarters. It is an imposing sight; this building towers over every other building around it. I cannot wait to see what kind of new technology they are working on.

We turn a corner and there is the Pokémon Center. Even the Pokémon Center is an impressive sight! Two stories high with magnificent Arcanine statues guarding the door; one with its mouth wide open, and one with its mouth clamped shut. It looks like it would light up the sky at night too, based on the all the light fixtures lining the building. The city sure went all out. It is impressive how well Saffron City recovered after being demolished just twelve years ago. That sure showed Sinnoh up.

We enter the Pokémon Center and are greeted by a beautiful nurse with red curly hair and a brilliant smile. Seeing her makes me think of Liz and I mentally decide to give her a call tonight.

"Welcome to the Saffron City Pokémon Center!" she says cheerfully. "How may I help you today?"

I look at Darius. "Yes, we'd like to refresh our Pokémon, please," I say and Darius nods.

"We're going to challenge your gyms!" Darius says excitedly.

"All right!" the nurse says happily. "I wish you the best of luck! Please place your Pokémon on this tray."

Darius dumps him Pokéballs onto the tray. I take mine out and gently place them onto the tray. I look at Jaws and hold up his Luxury Ball. "Ready, bud?" I ask. He nods and I pull him inside. I gently place the ball onto the tray and watch as the nurse takes them to the back. A minute later, she returns with all our balls.

"Here you are!" she says cheerfully.

"Wow, that was fast!" Darius exclaims.

"Thank you," I say, taking my Pokéballs. I immediately let Jaws out.

"We hope to see you again!" she says with a smile.

I am about to walk out, but Darius stops. "That's not very nice," he says.

The nurse looks confused. "Huh?"

"The only reason anyone comes to a Pokémon Center is to heal their Pokémon," Darius explains. "You might as well say you hope my Pokémon get beaten to a pulp."

"Uh…" The nurse is at a loss for words.

"Dude," I say.

Darius laughs. "Only kidding! Have a nice day!" he says, waving.

The nurse lets out an uneasy chuckle and waves back. She then looks at the counter, as if pondering what Darius had just said. I look at Darius and say "You're mean." Darius just shrugs and I laugh. "That was funny, though."

Darius looks at his map again, finds the gyms, and we head north. In an alleyway, I notice two bikers having a Pokémon battle, using a Weezing and a Muk. It is a really weird battle, with the Muk trying to envelope the Weezing with itself, then Weezing explodes, causing the Muk to explode and the two bikers stand there, looking dumbfounded.

At last, we arrive at the two gyms. The one on the right has a sign that reads "Saffron City Gym", while the one on the left has a sign that reads "Saffron City Fighting Dojo". I look at Darius, who looks back at me and shrugs. "I guess there's only one gym," Darius says.

"Let's check out the Fighting Dojo first," I suggest. "I would like to learn a bit more about Brawny."

"Sure, bud," he says. "Then we'll hit the gym and earn that badge!"

I nod and we enter the dojo. The dojo is filled with many trainers and Fighting-type Pokémon. The trainers themselves look like fighters as well, some sparing with their own Pokémon and each other. Some of them notice us enter and stop their fighting, just looking at us. Down the middle of the aisle, a tall imposing man with thick spikey black hair pulled together in the back and intimidating dark-brown eyes, wearing tattered fighting pants with a black belt, walked toward us, alongside a less, but still, imposing man with ruffled black hair, determined black eyes, wearing a full white gi. The two approached us and stopped, standing over us, looking down. Darius and I do not flinch, and instead, stand tall, as to oppose their presence.

The shorter (but still huge) man opens his mouth and speaks to us with a gruff voice. "Greetings," he says. "I am Koichi, leader of the Saffron City Fighting Dojo."

"My name is Crono," I say. "This is Darius."

"We've come to challenge your dojo!" Darius shouts.

Koichi glowers down at us. "Have you now?" he says. "Hmm… just so you know, this is a Fighting Dojo. Only Fighting-types are allowed to compete here. Do you have any Fighting types?"

Darius scratches his head. "Ah, well, no…" he stammers.

"Hmph," Koichi shakes his head. "Come back when you have a Fighting-type, kid."

"Excuse me," I say. "I have one, and I would like to challenge."

Koichi looks down at me. "Is that so?" He rubs his stubbly chin. "You have come at the most opportune time then. We have a special guest today. Allow me to introduce my good friend Bruno."

He gestures to the massive, yet silent, man standing next to him. Darius' eyes go wide, and I feel my heart slam into my ribcage. There is no way it could be him, but sure enough, at the mention of his name, I realize it really is him. The mountain of a man standing before us is none other than Bruno of the Elite Four.

As I admire the man standing before me, he looks down with a furrowed brow. He does not speak, but look upon us with a hint of intrigue. Koichi motions toward the arena in the middle of the gym. "We have several trainers here," he says, pointing to his team. "All trainers here will use one Pokémon. Beat them all, and you will face me. Defeat me and you will win a fantastic prize, and our respect."

I look at Darius, who gives me a nod. "You can do this," he says. "This will be good training for you."

Koichi and Bruno turn and walk around the arena to the back of the gym. As we step toward the arena, I go through my mind to remember the moves Brawny has. I know he has Cross Chop, where he attacks with a four-armed karate chop, and that really massive punch that knocked Jasmine's Steelix silly; Dynamic Punch, I think it is called. However, that is all I know, and a sense of dread washes over me as I realize I may fail Brawny here for not knowing his moves better. I need to get better at battling so when the need arises, I can help protect him and my other Pokémon. I still do not enjoy battling and dislike it as a sport, but this journey has made me realize its importance.

I step into the arena and the first trainer steps in on the opposite side. He withdraws a Pokéball from his gi and points at me. "My name is Hideki of Hoenn," he says, "and I'll be your first opponent." He throws the Pokéball and out pops a fat orange-ish Pokémon that looks like a sumo wrestler with very large hands. "Go, Hariyama!"

I reach for Brawny's dented Great Ball and slowly pull it out. I take a deep breath. I feel my heart pound. It is here where I will truly learn of Brawny's capabilities. I will do my best, and I know Brawny will do his. Win or lose, I do this for him, for my mother, for Liz, for Darius, and most of all, for my father! "Go Brawny!" I shout, throwing his ball.

Brawny comes out and flexes his four arms. Hideki wastes no time, giving Hariyama its first order. "Hariyama, use Sand Attack!"

Hariyama thrusts his massive hand forward, sending a cloud of sand at Brawny. Brawny covers his eyes with all four arms, blocking the sand from getting into his eyes. Hariyama then runs toward Brawny, taking advantage of the momentary blindness.

"Close Combat!" Hideki commands. Hariyama slams into Brawny's ribs with both hands and pushes Brawny back with all his weight.

"Brawny, use Cross Chop!" I shout. Brawny brings all four arms down upon Hariyama's head. Hariyama hits the ground, rolls back, and gets back to his feet.

"Force Palm!" Hideki commands. Hariyama starts thrusting his hands as he walks toward Brawny. The thrtusts get stronger as he gets closer to Brawny. Brawny reaches out and grabs one of Hariyama's hands before it hits, pulls Hariyama toward him, and picks him up with his two lower hands. Brawny pounds Hariyama's head with his upper two fists, then spins around and slams Hariyama into the ground. Hariyama does not move.

"No way!" Hideki shouts, pulling Hariyama into his ball. Hideki clenches his fist around the ball and growls, but gives me a courteous bow and steps out of the arena. Another fighter enters the arena.

"My name is Aaron, from Unova," the next guy says. "Let's do this! Go Sawk!" Aaron tosses a ball into the air and a slender blue Pokémon wearing a gi made of leaves pops out.

"Brawny, use Cross Chop!" I command, feeling nervous fighting these Pokémon I have never seen. Brawny charges the blue Pokémon and attacks it with all four arms.

"Counter!" Aaron says. Sawk sidesteps Brawny's attack, grabs an arm, and flips him around, throwing him into the ground. Sawk then does a quick jab to Brawny's face. Brawny growls in pain, but grabs Sawk's leg and swings her over himself, slamming her into the floor face-first. Sawk spins around and lands a whirl kick to Brawny's face, causing Brawny to let her go. Sawk takes a defensive stance while Brawny stands back up.

I think for a moment and realize something. I decide to determine if it works, because if it does, we gain the advantage. "Brawny, use Seismic Toss!" I command just loud enough for him to hear. Brawny nods, hunches down, and creeps toward Sawk. As he gets within grabbing range and reaches out, I hear Aaron's command, the one I predicted he would use.

"Counter!" Aaron shouts again. Sawk prepares to sidestep Brawny's attack, but Brawny reaches out wide and manages to grab Sawk by the arms and legs. He spins around fast, holding Sawk by each limb, rendering Sawk helpless. Brawny finally lets go and sends Sawk flying at Aaron, who quickly ducks. Sawk hits the wall and slumps to the ground, unconscious.

"Damn it!" Aaron curses. He pulls Sawk back into her ball and stomps off.

I wave Brawny over and he comes. "How do you feel buddy?" I ask. He gives me a thumbs up. I reach into my back and toss him a bottle of fresh spring water. "Drink up and keep up the good work." Brawny downs the water, crushes the bottle in one hand, and tosses it back at me.

"Ma-Champ!" he says excitedly. He seems to be enjoying himself, and I smile.

A young woman steps into the arena and gives a quick bow. "I'm Mika of Kalos," she says politely. "Do not expect victory from me." She tosses her ball and a red, green, and white Pokémon with wings comes out.

I furrow my brow and look at Darius. "Is that really a Fighting-type?" I ask.

Darius nods. "That's Hawlucha," he explains. "Be careful, it's also Flying-type, and Fighting is weak to Flying. I never really understood why…"

I clench my fist and nod. "Got it, thanks."

Hawlucha bows. Mika points her finger at Brawny. "Aerial Ace," she says calmly. Hawlucha leaps into the air and dives toward Brawny. Brawny moves to the side to avoid the attack, but Hawlucha changes direction midair and hits Brawny in the back. Brawny stumbles forward, then turns and punches at Hawlucha. Hawlucha leaps back, flapping his wings to gain distance.

"Aerial Ace," Mika says again. Hawlucha leaps up and dives for Brawny. Brawny tries to dodge the attack again, but Hawlucha redirects his attack and hit Brawny in the side. Brawny stumbles, then turns and grabs Hawlucha.

"Seismic Toss!" I shout. Brawny spins and throws Hawlucha across the room. Hawlucha tumbles in the air, then extends his wings and stops himself just before hitting the wall. He spins around, dives for the stage, and flips before landing gracefully. "Oh boy, this one is tough," I say to myself. I glance over at Darius. He looks grim. I furrow my brow and decide we need a new strategy.

"Fall back, Brawny!" I say. Brawny looks at me, then back at Hawlucha and starts stepping backwards toward me. Once he is close enough, I tell him the new strategy. He listens intently, then nods with understanding. "Now get him!"

Brawny charges toward Hawlucha, then stops in the middle of the ring. Hawlucha starts to circle Brawny, but Brawny stands his ground, watching Hawlucha closely. The two keep this up for a full minute; an achingly long minute. Finally, I hear Mika's voice. "Aerial Ace," she says.

Hawlucha leaps up and dives toward Brawny. Brawny turns toward Hawlucha and watches, standing his ground. He slowly moves his upper right arm back, but continues to stand still, watching, waiting. Finally, at the right moment, I shout "NOW! Dynamic Punch!"

Brawny's fist glows and he slams it into Hawlucha's head just before he makes impact. Hawlucha's eyes bulge from the blow and he slams into the ground. Brawny then picks him up and piledrives him into the ground. Brawny gets up and Hawlucha lays unconscious on the floor.

Mika looks in shock. "Un…believable," she stammers. She closes her eyes and pulls Hawlucha into his ball. "Well done. I concede." She steps out of the ring.

Brawny stomps toward me and I smile. "Great job, buddy!" I say, tossing him another water. "That one was tough, but you did it!"

"Champ!" Brawny says.

Another man enters the arena. "My name is Hitoshi, and I hail from Sinnoh," he says.

My heart stops at the mention of Sinnoh. My eyes narrow at the man as I watch him pull out a Great Ball. When he throws it, I notice a slight twinkle as his Pokémon comes out. It is tall and very thin, with bladed arms, a large slick blade on its head, and a red horn that appears to go through its chest and out its back. My heart stops again as I recognize the Pokémon. It is the same kind of Pokémon Lugia showed me, the one that killed my father's Machamp. This one looks different, though, being blue instead of green. I clench my fists so tightly, my palms start to bleed. I feel angry, though I know this is not the same one, it might as well have been, considering the rage welling inside me. I motion for Brawny to come to me, and he does.

"Hey," I say, trying to calm myself. "Be very careful with this one, okay?"

Brawny nods with understanding and returns to the arena. I thought about telling him, but decide against it. What good would it do anyway? At any rate, if we can beat this one, it will be good enough for me.

Hitoshi bows. "Let us fight with honor! Gallade, Swords Dance!"

Gallade does a quick dance. After the dance, his bladed arms glow red. I watch carefully, and Brawny takes on a defensive stance. Gallade dashes toward Brawny and starts slashing his arms. Brawny dodges each swing, throws some punches of his own, which Gallade dodges, then both back off, neither having landed a blow. The exchange lasted mere seconds, but somehow, I was able to see every strike clearly, and it confuses me. Before now, Pokémon battles were fast and blurred at times, and I just accepted it. This time, though, this particular fight, I was able to see every attack clearly, as if I was fighting myself.

"Whoa, that's fast!" Darius says. "I'm surprised Brawny was able to dodge them all. Machamps are typically slow."

I ignore him and continue to focus on the fight. Both Pokémon take a defensive stance and stare each other down. I then notice a slight movement in Gallade's right arm.

"Psycho Cut!" Hitoshi commands.

"Dodge left!" I shout. Gallade's right arm glows brightly and a large vertical blade of energy flies through the air at Brawny. Brawny dodges left and avoids the attack.

"Duck!" I shout again. Gallade swings his left arm in a wide arc and another blade of energy flies out horizontally. Brawny ducks, narrowly avoiding the blade.

"Jump!" I shout a third time and Brawny jumps back just as Gallade leaped into the air and sends an energy blade toward the ground where Brawny once stood.

"Cross Chop!" I command and Brawny charges Gallade, bringing all four arms upon Gallade. Gallade blocks the attack with his arms, then pushes Brawny back. The two square off, and there was silence.

Hitoshi watches me and I can practically see his thoughts. He is clearly wondering how my Machamp, which would normally be weak against his Gallade's psychic attacks, has managed to avoid every single one of his attacks. I know this, because I too am wondering the same thing. Regardless, I am determined to win this fight.

Hitoshi points his finger and Gallade starts to charge toward Brawny. "Close Combat!" he shouts. Suddenly, everything seems to move in slow motion. Gallade charges toward Brawny. Brawny takes a step back and glances over at me. I nod.

"You know what to do Brawny," I say. Brawny nods, turns toward Gallade, and then pounds all four fists into the floor. The whole building shakes and the floor rips open like a zipper, opening a fissure below Gallade. The sheer force of the impact stuns Gallade and energy shoots forth from the massive crack in the floor. Gallade is torn asunder and thrown into the ceiling. The floor closes up and Gallade falls, unconscious.

Hitoshi looks upon the arena, stunned. His mouth hangs open, but he does not say a word. He closes his mouth and his eyes, and pulls Gallade into his Great Ball. He gives me a courteous bow and walks off the arena.

I cheer and Brawny rushes over to me. He scoops me up and gives me a big beefy hug. He then sets me down and grins his big stupid grin. I grin a stupid grin as well. "Good job, buddy," I say. "I'm so proud of you."

Koichi steps into the arena, clapping. Bruno stands at the side of the arena, arms crossed. He had been watching my fights intently, and has not moved from that spot. Koichi steps forward, holding his Pokéball. "You have fought impressively," he says. "Now your opponent will be me. Defeat me, and you will receive a wonderful prize, but I will not make it easy. For I am Koichi of Johto, leader of the Saffron City Fighting Dojo!" He throws his Pokéball and out pops a brown and blue Pokémon with a cone-shaped head with a spike on top, and a tail that gives it the appearance of having three legs. "Go, Hitmontop!"

Brawny turns and faces the Hitmontop. I take a deep breath. The leader of the Saffron City Fighting Dojo; Koichi from my homeland of Johto. Now the real fight begins.

Koichi and I stand off, staring each other down. Knowing he is from Johto instills a kind of rivalry in me; I know he is more experienced than me, but for some reason, I feel like I have to win this, if only for Brawny's sake. His Hitmontop stands still, glaring at Brawny, while Brawny grins his typical stupid grin. He is really enjoying himself here and it makes me happy to know he is happy. I find another reason to learn battling; both Brawny and Jaws have shown joy in battle. I still dislike battling, but I am determined to help Brawny win this fight.

"You have done well to get this far," Koichi says, "but it ends with me. Hai-yah!"

Koichi strikes a fighting pose and Hitmontop follows suit. Brawny responds by flexing and putting up all four fists. Koichi snaps his fingers and points at Brawny. Hitmontop does a flip, landing on his head, and starts spinning, balancing on his head spike. A whirlwind of legs creeps toward Brawny. Brawny steps back into a defensive position and waits, watching Hitmontop closely. Hitmontop spins faster and charges right at Brawny. Brawny blocks the flurry of spinning kicks, but after several blocks, one kick finds its way through Brawny's arms and connects with his face. He steps back and Hitmontop circles around, stops spinning, and flips onto his feet. Hitmontop dances in place, watching Brawny's movement. Brawny rubs his cheek, then regains his posture. He starts stepping toward Hitmontop.

"Brawny, move in and Cross Chop!" I shout. Brawny charges.

"Low Kick," Koichi says. As Brawny swings all his arms, Hitmontop crouches and sweeps both legs under Brawny's legs, using his leg-like tail to balance. Brawny loses his balance and falls forward. He catches himself with his arms, flips over, and gets back to his feet. He turns quickly and sweeps his arms out at Hitmontop, who crouches and sweeps his legs again, tripping Brawny a second time. Brawny falls back and lands on his rear.

"Mega Kick," Koichi orders. Hitmontop spins quickly, energy charged at his right foot. The foot slams into Brawny's face. Brawny gets knocked aside and falls to the floor. Hitmontop leaps back and dances in place.

"Brawny!" I shout. "Get up!"

Brawny slowly gets up, rubbing his cheek. I begin to wonder if he is getting tired from all the fighting. I call out and ask him if he is okay. He responds with a thumbs up and flexes. I sigh and wonder if he would tell me if he was not all right. Just then, I feel a tug on my shorts. I look down and see Jaws has joined me. He makes a motion toward Brawny. I furrow my brow, trying to understand. I look at Brawny, then at Jaws, who makes a wiping motion across his forehead. I look back at Brawny and then I notice it. He is panting slightly and has sweat beading on his forehead. He IS getting tired, but does not want to admit it. Does he not want to let me down?

"Brawny!" I shout. "It's okay if you're tired. You can give up; I won't be upset."

Brawny looks at me angrily and shakes his head. I frown. I do not want him to push himself too hard, but the suggestion to quit seems to have upset him. He flexes and roars, then charges Hitmontop. He throws multiple punches at Hitmontop, who dances around them, swinging kicks at Brawny, some that miss and some that bounce off his chest. Brawny ignores the kicks that connect, throwing more punches in a massive blurred fury. One of the punches connects, stunning Hitmontop, and Brawny takes full advantage of it. He unleashes a brutal flurry of punches right to Hitmontop's face, who is helpless under the barrage. Finally, Brawny grabs each of Hitmontop's legs, picks him up, and slams him down over his knee. Hitmontop falls to the floor. I think he is out and Brawny wins, but Hitmontop manages to roll away and get back to his feet. He looks battered, but still ready for more fighting.

"Brawny, let's finish it and use that fissure move!" I shout.

Brawny raises all four fists into the air and slams them into the floor. A massive fissure snakes its way toward Hitmontop. Hitmontop flips over it, lands on his head spike, and starts spinning.

"You may have gotten Hitoshi's Gallade with that highly inaccurate move," Kiochi says, "but I am not an amateur, and I am insulted you think of me as one. Hitmontop, let's finish this with a High Jump Kick!"

Hitmontop spins rapidly, faster and faster. I call out to Brawny, warning him to be careful. Brawny takes on a defensive stance and watches Hitmontop. Hitmontop spins into a tornado blur and leaps into the air, becoming a razor-edged twister pointed right at Brawny. Brawny waits, and at the last moment, drops to the floor into a push-up position. Hitmontop sails over Brawny's head and flies out of the arena. He slams into the wall and crashes, his foot penetrating the wall. His foot gets stuck, but he falls and hangs there, unconscious.

Koichi stares at his fainted Hitmontop hanging from the wall, clearly in shock. I look at Brawny, who was doing push-ups on the arena floor. Koichi hesitantly pulls his Pokéball out and recalls Hitmontop. Jaws, Darius, and I cheer and rush out to Brawny. He leaps to his feet and flexes. Jaws leaps into Brawny's arms, who begins to toss him around with joy. The two have really gotten along and the thought of my Pokémon being just great friends brings me unspeakable joy.

Koichi approaches me, brow furrowed. He stares at me for a moment, then smiles. "That was a great fight," he says. He holds his hand out, offering to shake. I return the smile and extend my hand. We shake.

"Yes, it was," I say. "Thank you for the opportunity."

"As promised, you have earned a wonderful prize," he says. "Please, come with me."

He leads us to the back of the dojo, where Bruno is standing. I feel Bruno's gaze boring into me, but he does not say anything. He just stands there, arms crossed, next to a table with three Pokéballs on it. Koichi motions to the table.

"In these Pokéballs are terrific Fighting-type Pokémon," he explains. "The left has the punching Hitmonchan, the right is the kicking Hitmonlee, and the middle contains the spinning Hitmontop. They have been bred to perfection as prizes for strong trainers such as yourself. You will be hard-pressed to find better. Please, it would be an honor for you to take one."

Darius stares at the balls. "Bred to perfection? Oh man, I'm jealous," he says. "I've heard about breeders discovering a method to breeding strong Pokémon. It involves tedious planning and lots of resources. Some breeders spend years trying to attain a top-quality Pokémon."

I look over at Darius and think. "Which one would you recommend, Darius?" I ask.

"Huh?" Darius looks surprised. "Well, personally, I would choose Hitmonchan, but that's because it's my favorite of the Hitmons. However, as your teacher, I would have to recommend Hitmonlee, since it is the fastest and strongest of the three."

I step up to the table and look over the balls. I ponder for a moment, then grab the left ball containing Hitmonchan. Koichi rubs his chin. "I'll take this one," I say.

Koichi nods. "A fine choice indeed."

I look at Darius, then toss him the ball. Darius catches it, surprised. "It's yours," I say. Darius looks confused. "Thank you for teaching me how to battle. Now you have your own Fighting type."

Darius looks baffled, but smiles happily. "Thanks, bud!" he says. He admires the ball for a moment, then puts it in his pocket.

Koichi looks surprised as well, but Bruno steps forward. "That was a mighty fine gesture," he says, his deep voice reverberating through my ears. "You are quite talented as a trainer. Your friend here taught you well."

"Thank you, sir," I say, honored to be complimented by a member of the Indigo League's Elite Four.

Bruno looks down at me. "What do you say we have a battle?" he asks. "I would like to test your strength myself."

My heart races. Battling an Elite Four member is an honor only those who complete the Gym Challenge. I certainly cannot accept, but at the same time, I cannot refuse. "I accept, sir," I say, before I realize I said it.

"Excellent," Bruno says. He looks at Brawny standing behind me, then hands me a bottle. "Take this. It's a Full Restore. I want your Machamp to be at its best." I take the bottle and use it on Brawny. He flexes and cheers happily, feeling full of energy.

Bruno walks to one side of the arena, as I walk by a shocked Darius to the other side. Bruno pulls out an Ultra Ball and grips it tightly. I stand opposite him, Jaws at my side and Darius just behind me. Brawny steps into the arena, ready to go. Bruno looks at me with stern eyes. "Are you ready?" he asks. "I am Bruno of Kanto, and member of the Elite Four! Go, Machamp!"

He throws his Ultra Ball and a mighty Machamp pops out. His Machamp flexes and roars, and I am surprised at his choice. Two Machamps in the arena, squared off against each other, and I feel a huge rush. I have no expectations to win against such a powerful opponent, but I will do my best, and I expect Brawny will too.

"Machamp!" Bruno commands. "Power-up Punch!"

"Brawny!" I shout. "Thunder Punch!"

The two Machamp charge each other, fists drawn. Both punch at each other, Bruno's Machamp's fist glowing bright red, and Brawny's fist wrapped in lightning. The fists slam into each other and the power between the two creates a small explosion. Both are pushed back a short distance and they charge each other again. All eight hands clasp against each other and the two Machamps lock into a power struggle. They push against each other, neither giving any quarter. Their teeth are grit and their muscles bulge out as they attempt to wrestle the other to the ground.

"Brawny, Seismic Toss!" I command.

Brawny pulls back, taking the other Machamp with him, and he lifts him into the air as he falls forward from the sudden reversal. Bruno's Machamp gets lifted into the air as Brawny begins to spin. Brawny attempts to throw the Machamp, but Machamp grips Brawny's hands tightly, reducing the momentum and does not get thrown very far. Machamp does a flip, lands on his feet, and quickly turns back toward Brawny.

"Power-up Punch!" Bruno orders.

Machamp's fist glows bright red again as he charges toward Brawny. Brawny throws up his guard and blocks the punch with his two lower arms, then attempts a counter attack of his own with his upper fists. He swings both fists downward. The first one connects, but Machamp pulls back and the second fist misses. Machamp begins to burn a slight red, and I get the feeling that is not a good thing. Brawny and Machamp square off again, taking on defensive positions. They slowly circle each other, hunched over, ready for a command.

"Cross Chop!" I shout. Brawny moves in, arms pulled back. Machamp ducks as Brawny swings all four arms, then he swings both right arms into Brawny's exposed ribs. Brawny cringes and steps back, but Machamp moves in and takes Brawny to the ground. Brawny attempts to push Machamp off as Machamp unleashes a brutal barrage of blurred punches. The power of each strike pushes Brawny into the floor, the floor caving in from the overwhelming power of Machamps assault.

"Now! Dynamic Punch!" Bruno orders.

Machamp's fist glows brighting, energy enveloping his fist. My eyes go wide. I fear it may be over for Brawny and I feel helpless. "Brawny, get out of there!" I shout.

As Machamp brings his fist down, Brawny reaches up and grabs Machamp by the waist. He thrusts his pelvis upward, throwing Machamp off-balance and his fist slams into the ground just inches from Brawny's face. Brawny then flips him over, and Machamp falls face-first into the floor. Brawny slips out from under him and gets back to his feet.

"Seismic Toss!" I command. Brawny wastes no time and grabs Machamp by the feet before Machamp could recover. Brawny spins him around and around, faster and faster. Finally, Brawny lets go and Machamp is sent flying across the arena. Machamp flies toward the dojo wall, but just before hitting, he curls into a ball, punching through the wall. A few moments later, Machamp comes charging back through the wall and leaps back into the arena. Silence falls and both Machamps face off with each other.

"This fight is intense," I mutter to myself. Both Machamps are battered and bruised, but neither are giving any quarter. At last, the silence is broken by the sound of meaty feet hitting the floor as the Machamps charge each other again. Blow for blow, the two hammer each other with heavy fists, delivering mighty blows, while taking them. The two pummel each other in a blurred flurry of fists, but eventually, the two begin to slow, wearing each other out.

"Brawny, we need to finish this!" I shout. "Dynamic Punch!"

The two bounce off each other, putting distance between each other. Brawny pulls a fist back and as the energy gathers, he charges toward Machamp.

Bruno smirks. "Earthquake!" he commands.

Machamp leaps up and slams himself into the ground. The whole building shakes and the floor erupts around Brawny. Pillars of earth jut from the ground repeatedly, catching Brawny mid-punch. He gets beaten numerous times as the earth rocks around him. As the shaking ceases, Brawny sinks to his knees, then falls to the floor.

I stare in horror as I see Brawny laying face-first on the floor. Machamp stands there, breathing heavily, battered and bruised, but victorious. I rush out and kneel next to Brawny. I gently shake him. He turns his head and looks up at me with an apologetic look.

"Ma… champ…" he groans. Then he grins.

I smile and shake my head. "You did good, buddy," I assure. "No need to apologize."

As I help Brawny sit up, Bruno walks toward us. He looks down at us, then kneels down and hands me another Full Restore. "Good fight," he says. "You did extremely well."

I look at him, then take the Full Restore. "Thanks," I say. I apply the medicine to Brawny. Brawny begins to look and feel much better and he grins even bigger. The three of us stand up and Bruno extends his hand. I take it and we shake.

"You have a lot to learn," he says, "but you have great potential. I can see you greatly care for your Machamp, and he for you. You two make a terrific team."

I look down, then back at him. "Thanks," I say.

Brawny and Machamp meet up and they shake hands as well. Bruno places a hand upon my shoulder. "I look forward to seeing you at the Indigo Plateau," he says. "It will certainly be a spectacular event."

"Oh," I stammer. "I actually don't plan on challenging the league."

Bruno raises his eyebrows. "Why not?" he asks.

I gesture at Jaws, who is behind me being thrown around by Brawny. "I have a Pokémon who is far from home," I explain. "I am trying to find his owner."

Brawny puts Jaws down and he runs up to me. He tugs on my shorts and smiles. I pat his head, reach into my bag, and feed him a few berries. Jaws eats them joyfully, hugs my leg, and runs back to Brawny, who picks him up and tosses him around some more. Bruno smiles.

"Funny," he says. "He seems to already be home."

"Huh?" I look at him with a confused look.

Bruno looks down at me. "I don't know where he came from, nor how he came to be with you, but I do know a happy Pokémon when I see one. I would not be surprised if, when you find his original owner, he chooses not to go back."

"Oh…" I ponder on his words. I look back at Jaws for a moment. The look of pure joy on his face as he plays with Brawny warms my heart. I have had mixed feelings for a while now, as the little guy has grown on me. I do not want to return him to Hoenn. I want him to stay with me. I want to keep him, to play with him, to love him. Just as Brawny means the world to me, so does Jaws, and I would do anything for him. That right there, I decide, is why I must take him back. It is he who must choose to stay, not me. I look back at Bruno. "I will still return him. As much as I want him to stay with me, it's not fair to him to deny him the option of going back."

Bruno looks at me, then nods. "You truly have a caring heart," he says. "It will take you far in life." He pats me on the shoulder. "May you have a safe journey, and maybe one day, I'll see you at the Indigo Plateau."

I smile. "We'll see."


	8. Chapter 8: Fragile Dreams

Darius tosses his new Pokéball to himself as we leave the Fighting Dojo. The big grin on his face tells me he is satisfied with his new Pokémon. I look down at Jaws, who appears to have a disappointed look on his face. I whistle at him and he looks up. I toss him a Sitrus Berry. "I'm sorry, bud," I say. "I didn't know they wouldn't allow only Fighting types. I'll try to get you a battle at the gym." Jaws eats his Sitrus Berry and nods at me. I take a deep breath as we walk next door to the official Saffron City Gym.

The building is fairly plain. It's bigger than the dojo, but other than that, there really is no difference. It looks just like every other building in the city. The doors open automatically as we approach and we step through. Despite the building being quite large, the room we just stepped into is very small, about the size of your average living room. Two statues of Alakazams stand beside the entrance, each holding a large spoon up and toward the other, creating an arch. A lone trainer stands in the back of the room.

The trainer is a young woman. Her hands are held out, one with a Pokéball resting in the palm and the other empty. With her eyes closed, she manipulates the ball and flips her hands over. The ball stays in place, not falling. She then brings her hands together, keeping the ball in her palm. She then flips the ball over, so it is resting in her palm, and hovers the free hand over the ball, palm down. Her eyes open wide suddenly, and she focuses on the ball with a fierce stare. After several seconds of staring, the ball appears to hover upward to her upper hand. She catches the ball and rests her arms at her side.

Darius claps his hands. "Wow, that was amazing!" he says. "How did you do that?"

The woman looks at us and bow. "Welcome to the Saffron City Gym," she says with a soothing voice. "Home to the most powerful psychic in Kanto, Sabrina. We specialize in the Psychic type here. What you just witnessed was a small taste of my power."

"Oh man," Darius says, amazed. "I wish I had psychic powers!"

"That wasn't psychic powers," I say, skeptical. "That was just juggling."

The woman glares at me. "A non-believer, I see," she says.

"No, I acknowledge the existence of psychic abilities," I say. "Just not in humans."

The woman hesitates, then finally speaks. "Okay, you got me," she says. "I'm not psychic. But Sabrina is, and she will make a believer out of you when she utterly defeats you." She gestures to her sides. "Next to me are telepads, new technology courtesy of Silph, Co. Step on one and you will be transported to another room. Careful not to get lost. One wrong step and you will wind up back here and never face Sabrina."

I look at each of the two telepads, one to her left and one to her right. I look at Jaws. "Hey bud, how about you pick?"

"What?!" Darius exclaims.

"Hey, it's okay," I assure. "Let's see where the first one takes us and we'll go from there."

Darius nods. "All right. Go ahead, Jaws."

Jaws looks left and right, then left again. He trots up to the pad, circles it twice, then stops. He looks back at me and points to it. I nod and walk over. "This one, huh?" I say. "All right, buddy. Let's do this."

Jaws jumps onto the pad. In a flash of light, he instantly disappears. I pause, amazed at how far technology has come. My heart pounds against my chest as I cautiously step onto the pad. Once I step on the pad, I am enveloped by a bright white light. I feel like I may go blind, then for a moment, everything goes black.

My vision returns and I find myself in a different room. Jaws is standing in front of me, clearly happy to see me. I step off the pad and look around. The pad I just stepped off is in one corner of the room. Three more pads sit in each other corner. In the middle, a trainer sits on a cushion in a meditative state. Behind me, I hear a faint hum, then footsteps. Darius comes off, shivering.

"Whoa, that was weird," he says, shaking himself. "Where are we?"

"Appears to be just another room," I say. "Nothing special."

Darius looks around. "So which pad to we go to next?"

I rub my chin. "There's a trick I use to get through mazes," I say. "It doesn't matter what kind of maze it is; hedge maze, mirror maze, they all have something in common and can be solved using a simple method. Pick either the left wall or the right wall, then follow that wall. No matter how far you follow it, it will lead to the other side. I suggest we keep heading left." I point to the pad to our left.

Darius nods. "All right, sounds good to me," he says.

We head to the pad when suddenly, the trainer snaps out of his meditative state. "You cannot proceed," he says. "You must defeat me first, if you can."

I look at Darius. "All yours, buddy," I say. "I kind of hogged the dojo."

"Yes!" he says. "Let's do this!"

The trainer tosses a ball out and an Abra appears. Darius pulls out a Pokéball and tosses it, releasing his Pachirisu. Darius clenches his fist and grins wildly. I can tell he really loves battle. "Pachirisu, use Nuzzle!"

The other trainer remains calm and collected. "Teleport," he says.

Pachirisu charges after Abra. Abra attempts to teleport away, but Pachirisu is faster. He catches Abra and rubs his cheek against the surprised Pokémon. Sparks fly and Abra begins to twitch, paralyzed.

"Great!" Darius shouts. "Now Hyper Fang!"

Pachirisu bares his teeth and sinks them into Abra's arm. For the first time ever, I watch an Abra open its eyes. It shrieks in pain. Its trainer takes a deep breath and utters his command. "Barrier."

Abra shakes Pachirisu off and hovers back. A psychic field envelops it, providing protection from Pachirisu's physical attacks. Darius clearly knows this and is prepared, for he has a twinkle in his eye. "Pachirisu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pachirisu jumps at Abra, surrounded by lightning, and a giant bolt shoots from his cheeks. The bolt strikes Abra, sending it into convulsions. Darius wastes no time and calls out his next command. "Now finish it with U-Turn and come back!" The moment Pachirisu touches the ground, he charges like lightning toward Abra.

"Abra, use Psyshock!" the trainer calls, but it is no use. Pachirisu reaches Abra before he finishes his command and bounces off its head. Abra falls to the floor, knocked out, and Pachirisu flies toward Darius, landing perfectly at his feet. Darius pulls him back into his ball.

"Excellent, Pachirisu!" he cheers. "Just like we practiced!"

The trainer does not look pleased, bringing his Abra back into its ball. He pulls out a second ball and tosses it. "Time to get serious," he says as his Jynx appears. Her yellow hair twirls as she prepares for battle.

Darius smirks and grabs another Pokéball. "It's a bit of a risk, but it should make this fun," he says to himself. "Go Hitmonchan! Let's see what you can do!"

Darius throws the ball and Hitmonchan comes out. The Pokémon looks like a boxer, complete with tunic and gloves. It looks pumped and ready for battle. I ponder Darius' choice, knowing Fighting is weak to Psychic, but since Jynx is also Ice, it should make things interesting. I find myself eager to see how well he does. I look at Jaws and he seems really pumped and eager. Poor guy, I promised him a battle, but have yet to have the opportunity. I tell myself I'll treat him to something nice when we are done here.

"All right, Hitmonchan," Darius says. "Let's be careful here. Show me what you can do!"

Hitmonchan nods and puts his fists up. Jynx starts wiggling her hips at Hitmonchan seductively. She moves closer and closer. Hitmonchan slowly drops his fists and cocks his head. As Jynx gets closer, her trainer calls out the first command. "Lovely Kiss," he says. Jynx smacks her lips and plants a sloppy wet kiss on his cheek. Hitmonchan is stunned, then pushes Jynx away. Suddenly, Hitmonchan starts getting drowsy. He sinks to one knee, and soon, he falls to the floor, asleep.

Darius frowns. "Come on, Hitmonchan," he says. "Wake up!"

Jynx's trainer continues to keep his calm demeanor. "Psychic," he says. Jynx puts her hands up, fingers spread, at the side of her face. Powerful psychic waves emanate from her mind and strikes the mind of Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan snaps awake and reels from the pain. He puts his fists back up and fights the attack. He pulls a fist back and suddenly, he vanishes. The next moment, he appears in front of Jynx, plowing a fist through her face.

"Whoa," Darius says. "He knows Bullet Punch! Perfect!"

Jynx flies back. She catches herself, staying on her feet, and moves back toward Hitmonchan. Her trainer begins to look worried. "Finish it with Blizzard," he says.

"All right, Hitmonchan," Darius calls out. "Show me what else you have!"

Jynx exhales hard, blowing out a frigid blast of freezing air and ice shards. The shards pelt Hitmonchan's hide. The forceful winds push Hitmonchan back and the shards start to encase his body in ice. Hitmonchan pulls a fist back and it engulfs in flames. He charges through, using the flames to keep the ice off his body. Jynx exhales harder and the blizzard thickens. Hitmonchan pushes his way through and slams the flaming fist into Jynx's gut. She doubles over, holding her gut, and the blizzard ends.

"Now finish it!" Darius shouts. Hitmonchan's fist glows and he launches a powerful uppercut into Jynx's chin. She flies into the air and hits the floor next to her trainer, unconscious. The trainer drops to his knees, defeated.

"YES!" Darius cheers. "You are amazing, Hitmonchan!" Hitmonchan walks back confidently to Darius. Darius approaches him to congratulation him, but Hitmonchan snubs Darius. Confused, Darius tries again, only to get snubbed again. Darius scratches his head. "Huh… I suppose we have some work to do. I understand you don't trust me yet, but I promise, I'll take good care of you. For now, return." He pulls Hitmonchan back into the ball.

The trainer speaks. "You have bested me in battle," he says. "You may proceed, but choose wisely."

I motion Darius toward the next telepad. We step onto it and move to the next room. We continue in this fashion, and Darius mows down each trainer we come across with ease. He uses each Pokémon at least once between all the trainers and I can tell ever since his shocking loss to Whitney, he has really taken Lugia's words to heart. Each of his Pokémon has grown in strength since his all-night training session. He has not slept much since then, and I find myself worrying that he may be pushing himself too hard. However, he appears to be full of energy, with the adrenaline rush of battle fueling his body. He really is a great trainer and one day, I know I will see him as a league Champion.

We come to a room with only one telepad, but this telepad is guarded by two trainers. A guy/girl team, these two speak in unison. "To reach Sabrina, you must defeat the two of us," they say. "Can you overcome the power of unity?" They then release a Pokémon each; a Jynx and a Mr. Mime.

Darius looks ready and pulls out two Pokéballs. He then pauses for a moment, then puts one ball away. He looks at me and extends his hand. "Come buddy," he says. "Let's do this together!"

I raise an eyebrow, then I look at Jaws. He is hopping up and down excitedly. I smile and look back at Darius. "All right," I say. "Let's do this!"

Jaws runs out to the arena as Darius throws his Pokéball. Piplup pops out and hops excitedly. Jaws grins happily at Piplup and strikes a defensive stance. Both the opposing Jynx and Mr. Mime prepare for battle.

"Do you really think you can beat us?" the two trainers say. "You shall never face Sabrina."

"Are you ready, Crono?" Darius asks.

I nod and clench my fist. "Yes, I am."

"Reflect!" Jynx's trainer calls out.

"Light Screen!" Mr. Mime's trainer calls out at the same time.

Jynx and Mr. Mime both put their hands up. Barely visible walls appear at their fingertips, placing barriers between us and them. Jaws tosses a handful of fries into his gaping jaw, while Piplup prepares for an attack.

"Bubble Beam!" Darius shouts.

Piplup rears his head back, then opens his beak and fires a stream of bubbles at Mr. Mime. The bubbles bounce off the invisible walls, leaving Mr. Mime unscathed. Darius frowns. "All right, try a Drill Peck!" Piplup charges in and creates a small whirlwind around his beak. He pecks at Mr. Mime, but the attack meets the invisible wall and stops just inches from Mr. Mime's face. Mr. Mime grins at Piplup, taunting him. Piplup leaps back to Darius and takes a defensive stance, clearly as frustrated at Darius.

"Those walls are blocking our attacks," Darius complains. "We have to get through them if we're to get to their Pokémon. Also, what the heck is Jaws doing?!" He glares at Jaws as he chugs a Slurpee.

"He's preparing for battle," I explain. "Trust me, bud. He knows what he's doing."

"Shouldn't you know too?" Darius asks. "Come on, we need to think of a strategy!"

The two trainers both point their fingers at us. "Your time has come," they say in unison. "Jynx! Mr. Mime! Use Round!"

Jynx opens her mouth and lets loose a beautiful melody that creates visible sound waves. Mr. Mime follows suit, and the two voices sync harmoniously to create a lovely, but deadly crescendo that heads straight for Piplup.

"They're targeting you, Piplup!" Darius shouts. "Look out!"

Piplup prepares to protect himself, but then Jaws jumps in front of him, throwing up his massive jaw like a shield, and absorbs the attack. Jaws flinches from the pain, but stands his ground. Piplup looks at Jaws admiringly and squeaks, as if you thank him. When the attack ends, Jaws spins around and eats a banana. He glows brightly and takes a defensive stance.

"Oh, I get it now," Darius says. "He's using Stockpile! He's increasing his defenses to help protect Piplup!"

"Yep," I say. "Now he can unleash his strongest… and grossest… attack."

"Aw, dude," Darius says. He clearly knows which attack I am referring to. "But wait, we have to get through those walls first, or it won't work."

I frown. He is right. If we cannot get through those walls, our attacks will do nothing. As I think of a strategy, the two trainers begin to prepare another attack.

"Prepare for Round 2," they say. "Dual Psychic attacks!"

Both Jynx and Mr. Mime unleash a brutal combined Psychic attack. They focus on Piplup again, who tries to dodge the attack, but Jaws grabs him and shields him again behind his massive jaw. Jaws winces in pain, but holds his ground. He looks visibly tired and I am unsure he can withstand another attack. I quickly run through our battles, trying to think of something that we can do. The most recent was with Jasmine and her Magneton. Before that was Ecruteak City and that Houndour. Even before that was Whitney… and that is when it hit me. That move, the clue is in the name. It is called that for a reason, and it is now or never. Time to see if I am right.

The two trainers call out in unison. "Finish them with Hyper Beam!" The two Pokémon begin charging their attacks, both hands glowing, and then put their hands together, pointed right at Piplup.

"Jaws, use Brick Break!" I command.

Darius' looks at me in awe, the grins. This tells me I am right. Jaws charges toward our two opponents, fists pulled back, and as he reaches them, he slams both fists and his jaw into the walls. He plows right through, shattering both, and hits Jynx hard. She stumbles back, but stays on her feet. Jaws gives her no time to recover and follows up with an attack I have yet to see him use. He clamps down on Jynx's face and I hear a sound like shattering ice. Jynx lets out a scream and collapses on the floor, unconscious.

Mr. Mime unleashed his Hyper Beam. The beam flies past Jaws, just barely missing him, and heads straight for Piplup. Piplup ducks down, then leaps into the air, dodging the beam. He flies at Mr. Mime, who looks stunned, and dives in with his Drill Peck attack. He connects, drilling into Mr. Mimes chest. Mr. Mime stumbles back, then puts his hands up. He holds his position, not moving. Darius wastes no time.

"Piplup, finish it with Hydro Pump!" he commands. Piplup opens his beak and spews a cannon of water at Mr. Mime. Mr. Mime stays put, as if he is unable to move, and takes the attack full force. He flies back into the wall and collapses.

"Noooooo!" our opponents cry in unison. They pull their Pokémon back into their balls and sink to their knees in defeat.

"All right!" Darius shouts. "Way to go Piplup!" He picks up Piplup and celebrates by twirling around with him. They both giggle happily.

Jaws runs up to me. I kneel down and pat him on the head. He looks worn, but happy. I give him a handful of Sitrus Berries and he happily scarfs them down. "Good work out there," I say. "You did great."

Piplup suddenly runs up to Jaws. He squeaks cheerfully at him. Jaws nods and hands him a Sitrus Berry. The two eat happily, then Piplup gives Jaws a hug. The sight is a little silly, but heartwarming. Darius looks at me and grins. "You two did great out there!" he says. "I sure am glad Jaws knows Brick Break."

Suddenly, Piplup starts squeaking loudly. He flaps his arms wildly. Darius kneels next to him. "What is wrong?" he asks. Piplup just keeps squeaking and flails his arms at Darius. Darius jumps back. Piplup's arms suddenly start growing, getting longer, and Darius scoots back quickly. Piplup's body swells, growing larger and taller. Two yellow horns sprout from his head and his squeaks become squawks. Finally, it stops squawking and flailing his arms, and stands tall, quiet. Darius stands up and walks over slowly with a look of awe. Then he grins happily.

"Ah, he evolved!" he shouts happily. "He's evolved to Prinplup!" He kneels down and extends his arms. The newly evolved Prinplup runs into his open arms and they embrace. "Haha! This is awesome! I'm so proud of you, Prinplup!"

The two trainers that were once our opponents walk up to us, both with smiles. "Congratulations," they say together. "You have not only bested us, but have also shown compassion for your Pokémon. You have earned the right to face Sabrina. Please proceed through the next telepad."

Darius looks up at me and I nod. "You can do this, buddy," I say. "You're the best."

Darius grins. "And I plan to prove it!" He pulls Prinplup back into his ball and the three of us head to the next room; first Darius, then Jaws, and finally, me.

As I appear on the other side, I see Darius already prepared to face Sabrina. He has a ball in his hand while Sabrina stares at him. She too holds a ball in her hand. No words are exchanged, at least none that I can hear, and wonder if Sabrina is truly psychic. I recall the way Lugia communicated with us, and wonder if Sabrina is capable of that. At last, my thoughts are laid to rest and Sabrina speaks.

"I don't enjoy battling," she says, "but it's my duty as a Gym Leader to confer Badges on anyone who has proven themselves worthy. Since you wish it, I will show you my psychic powers!"

The ball in her hand levitates out toward the arena. It pops open and an Espeon appears. Darius smirks and tosses his own Pokéball. His Sylveon appears with a bluish twinkle, and the two Eevee evolutions face off.

"Let's make this quick!" Darius shouts confidently. "Shadow Ball!"

Sylveon creates a purple-black orb in front of her and swipes it with her tail. The ball flies at Espeon, but Espeon dashes out of the way. He then runs behind Sylveon and unleashes his own Shadow Ball. The ball hits Sylveon on the back. She shakes herself off, then turns to face Espeon.

"Odd," I say to myself. "She didn't give a command."

Jaws looks up at me briefly, then returns his gaze to the battle. Darius tries another Shadow Ball attack, but Espeon dodges it again and launches his own. Sylveon shakes off the attack again, but looks frustrated. Darius looks frustrated as well, and I think he realizes his Sylveon is slower than Espeon. His face gets serious as he formulates a new strategy.

"Something is odd here," I say, again to myself. "She's not giving any commands, but Espeon attacks anyway." I feel a tug on my shorts and look down. Jaws waves at me, then points to his head. "What's wrong?" I look at him quizzical. Then I realize what he is trying to say. "Oh, you think so? No, I don't think she is really psychic. There's no way." Jaws waves, punches the air, then points to Espeon. "So? You attack on your own most of the time too. Sorry bud, I don't believe she is psychic."

Jaws just shrugs and looks back at the battle. I watch intently, but the longer I watch the battle, the more I realize Jaws just may be right. The way her Pokémon moves, the response time is incredible. If she is communicating psychically with her Pokémon, then that gives her an advantage and Darius could be in trouble. I frown.

Darius furrows his brow. I can see the worry etched in his face. Not only is Sylveon slower than Espeon, but he cannot even hear Sabrina's commands or know if she is even giving any. Being able to hear the commands given by your opponent can help react to attacks, but now it is one-sided. Darius will need to think of something and fast.

Suddenly, Darius stoops to one knee and whistles. Sylveon dashes over and Darius leans into her ear. After a few moments, Sylveon dashes back into the arena and Darius rises to his feet. He smiles confidently as the two Pokémon face off. Darius then speaks. "Shadow Ball!" he commands.

Immediately, Espeon dashes to the side, but Sylveon does not attack with Shadow Ball. Instead, she flips her ribbon-like appendages back, causing them to flow over her back. She slowly waves her tail, as if to entice Espeon. The gesture works, for Espeon suddenly hesitates. Darius takes full advantage of the moment and calls out his next command. "Baby-Doll Eyes!"

A purple-black orb grows in front of Sylveon and she slaps it with her tail. The orb slams into Espeon's love-struck face and sends him flying. He catches himself, digging his claws into the floor, and rushes toward Sylveon. Sylveon continues to wave her tail at him, and Espeon stops moments before attacking. It seems he is in love with Sylveon, just the way Jaws was when he fought Whitney's Miltank.

"Now use Attract!" Darius shouts.

Espeon shakes his head and leaps away, closing his eyes to prevent from seeing the Pokémon seduction. Sylveon stops the seductive dance, however, and begins charging a powerful Hyper Beam. Espeon's eyes open wide, but it is too late. He is caught in the beam. The energy envelops him, explosive shockwaves reverberating through his body, and finally, he collapses.

"Yes!" Darius shouts. Sylveon stands for a moment proudly, then collapses as well, exhausted from the battle. Darius pulls her back into her ball and smiles. "Rest now."

I smile, realizing Darius' strategy. If he cannot know what commands Sabrina is issuing to her Pokémon, then Darius did not allow Sabrina to know his by mixing up the move names as a code. A brilliant strategy of confusion and deception!

Sabrina frowns. "What will happen after this?" she says quizzically. "I already know." She throws another Pokéball and a powerful Alakazam appears before Darius. Holding two spoons, he stands tall and calm. Darius stares at it, then reaches for a ball of his own. He throws it and Pachirisu comes out.

"All right, Pachirisu, let's win this!" Darius says. He points his finger at Alakazam and issues his first command. "Nuzzle!"

Pachirisu charges Alakazam. Alakazam holds his ground until the last second. As Pachirisu leaps at him, Alakazam thrusts his spoons outward, psychically catching Pachirisu mid-air. He holds him there for a second, then slams him into the ground. Pachirisu squeals in pain. Alakazam lifts him back into the air, then slams him into the ground again.

"No, Pachi!" Darius shouts. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Bolts of electricity shoot out of Pachirisu's cheeks and envelop Alakazam. Alakazam seems unfazed by the attack and drives Pachirisu's head into the floor. Pachirisu's small body goes limp and Alakazam tosses him to Darius' feet.

I see the pain march across Darius' face, and I feel a sharp sting in my heart. The poor Pokémon did not stand a chance and the brutality is too much to bear. Darius frowns and pulls Pachirisu back into his ball. "I'm sorry," he whispers, then reaches for another ball. He throws it out and releases Prinplup. "You can do it, Prinplup! Drill Peck!"

Prinplup charges Alakazam and leaps into the air. He spins himself like a tornado and aims for Alakazam's chest. Alakazam stands his ground, and just before Prinplup lands his attack, disappears. Prinplup strikes the floor, drilling a hole into it. He stops himself and leaps to his feet. As he looks around, Alakazam reappears behind him. Holding his spoons together, a green orb forms between them. He then launches the orb, and a surprised Prinplup hits the floor. As Prinplup struggles to get up, Alakazam launches a second green orb, hitting Prinplup square in the chest. Prinplup tumbles toward Darius and lays still on the floor.

Darius clenches his fist as he pulls Prinplup in. The frustration is clear as he struggles to think of a plan. This Alakazam is powerful, a lot more powerful than Darius' Pokémon, and with Alakazam being a highly intelligent Pokémon, he will see right through Darius' code strategy.

Darius tosses out his Hitmonchan. I recognize this as a bad choice, but if he can whittle way some health with Bullet Punch, perhaps another one of his Pokémon will be able to finish it off. Darius issues the command and Hitmonchan disappears. He reappears in front of Alakazam and punches him in the face. Alakazam looks surprised and gets knocked back. He then responds with a powerful Psychic attack. The psychic waves bombard Hitmonchan, who winces in great pain. Darius issues the same command. I catch a glimpse of Hitmonchan's face just before he disappears and I swear he glared at Darius. Hitmonchan's fist plows into Alakazam's face, but Alakazam still does not go down. He counters with another Psychic attack, blasting Hitmonchan back. He rolls across the floor, attempts to get up, and just for a moment, he glares angrily at Darius as he collapses to the floor.

"Give it up," Sabrina says. "Your Pokémon cannot withstand the psychic power of Alakazam."

Darius growls. "We're not through yet!" He throws another ball and Lapras appears. "Your foe is weak! Get him, Lapras!" Lapras sings melodically as Darius issues her first order. "Surf!" Lapras summons a giant wave that rushes toward Alakazam. Alakazam holds his spoons out and parts the wave. Just as the wave parts around him, Darius shouts "Now! Sheer Cold!" Lapras' body glows blue and a massive energy wave emanates throughout the room. The temperature drops drastically around us and the wave instantly freezes around Alakazam. The two frozen waves topple down and Alakazam can no longer be seen.

I exhale sharply, suddenly realizing I had been holding my breath. Jaws stares out in awe, fists clenched, waiting to see what happens next. The silence in the room is deafening. Darius watches intently, ready for anything. He clearly is not underestimating this Pokémon. Lapras watches, awaiting her trainer's next command.

Suddenly, the ice around the room shatters and a green orb flies at Lapras. Lapras ducks, narrowly avoiding it. She fires a beam of ice at the source of the attack, but then Alakazam appears behind her. He looks battered, but still determined. As Lapras turns around, Alakazam's body glows brightly. Lapras fires another Ice Beam that hits him, but as the glowing fades, Alakazam looks refreshed, as if he had not been fighting at all.

"Oh no…" I whisper. "He used Recover…"

Darius grits his teeth and watches helplessly as Alakazam fires another green orb at Lapras. Lapras gets hit hard and cries melodically as she collapses. Darius sighs as he pulls Lapras back in. All that work, only to have it completely undone would be demoralizing for anyone. Darius reaches in and pulls out his last ball. He looks at the ball with a twinkle of hope in his eye and I remember which Pokémon it is. It is his best Pokémon, his favorite Pokémon, the one that almost single-handedly defeated the Unova League. Surely, he can win with her.

"This ends now!" Darius shouts, throwing the ball. A beautiful squawk echoes throughout the room as the ball bursts into flames. When the flames clear, Talonflame rises into the air. She spreads her majestic wings and Darius beams with pride. His most treasured Pokémon, and I find myself praying she has what it takes to defeat this powerful foe.

Sabrina's eyes narrow. Alakazam spreads his arms, gripping the two spoons tightly. "I have seen the outcome of this fight already," she says.

"So have I," Darius responds. "Let's see who is right! Flame Charge!"

Talonflame soars through the air, barrel-rolling down toward Alakazam. She engulfs herself in flames and spins right at Alakazam. Alakazam waits, then at the last moment, tries to dodge, but Talonflame drills right into his chest. Alakazam hits the floor, bounces once, then floats back to his feet.

"Oh wow!" I say. "Talonflame is faster!" Jaws starts cheering silently.

Darius wastes no time. He issues his second command. "Steel Wing!" Talonflame flaps her wings hard and a shower of steel feathers rain around Alakazam. Alakazam throws up a Reflect, repelling many of the shards, but a few make it through before the wall finishes forming and pelt Alakazam. He flinches from the attack, but stands his ground. He counters with a Psychic attack. The mental waves contact Talonflame. She squawks in pain, but remains in the air.

"Use Flame Charge!" Darius shouts.

Talonflame spins again and barrels down toward Alakazam. Alakazam holds his spoons out, reinforcing the invisible wall. Talonflame bounces off the wall, but circles around and slams into it again. The wall holds, but the sheer force pushes Alakazam back a few inches. She continues to repeat this barrage of attacks and I watch eagerly as Alakazam gets pushed back with each attack. Talonflame is chipping away at him, and her speed is forcing him to remain on the defensive. I find my heart pounding. For the first time, I feel what every Pokémon trainer must feel with each battle; the thrill of the fight, a pure adrenaline rush, and it is not even my fight. Jaws looks thrilled as well, and a smile spreads across my face as I watch Talonflame unleash a vicious barrage of attacks against this powerful foe.

Finally, Talonflame swoops around and hovers over Darius. Alakazam regains his posture and readies himself. He then begins to glow and I feel the sharp sting of what is happening. He is recovering again!

"Now let's finish this," Darius says. "Flare Blitz!"

Talonflame suddenly erupts into a massive fireball. Smaller fireballs orbit her engulfed body as she charges down toward Alakazam. The sheer speed of the attack forces Alakazam to abort his regeneration and he throws up a Reflect. Talonflame smashes right through the wall, shattering it to pieces, and burns right into Alakazam's chest. Alakazam screams in pain and flies into the back wall, sailing past a surprised Sabrina. He slumps to the floor and the spoons in his hands melt.

"All right!" I cheer, throwing my fist into the air. Jaws jumps up and down excitedly and we both rush out to Darius to congratulate him.

Darius exhales sharply. Talonflame circles around, then lands next to him. She pecks at her wings, grooming herself. Darius turns to her, kneels down, and wraps his arms around her. She squawks happily.

"Oh man, good job!" I say. "What a heart-pounding battle!"

"Well now," Darius says. "Are you suddenly finding joy in battling?"

I scratch my head. "Eh, I can get used to it." We both laugh.

Sabrina approaches us slowly. Her eyes never leave Darius and her face is serious. For several moments, she does not say anything, but then she extends her fist. She opens it and inside is a badge.

"I failed to accurately predict your power," she says. "That means your power is beyond my psychic ability. You deserve this."

Darius smiles and takes the Marsh Badge. "Thank you," he says. "You were a tough opponent."

Talonflame nuzzles Darius' extended hand as he takes the badge. Darius pets her, stroking her feathers. Sabrina watches intently and for the first time since we saw her, she smiles.

"Your love for your Pokémon smashed my psychic abilities," she says warmly. "The ability to love, I think, is some kind of psychic ability. I predict that you will become a celebrated and beloved Champion."

Darius smiles even bigger. "Thank you," he says, "but I have a lot to learn to earn that title."

The city lights brighten the streets as night falls upon Saffron City. We were in that gym for quite some time and exhaustion hits all of us. I look at Jaws, who is yawning, and I can hear both his and Darius' stomachs growling. Mine grumbles as well, so I reach into my bag and pull out some Sitrus Berries and a couple sticks of Tauros jerky. Darius looks over and notices the food in my hands.

"What's that?" he asks, pointing at the jerky.

"Tauros jerky," I answer.

Darius makes a weird face. "Dude, put that away," he says, "and let's get some real food!"

"Eh, you go ahead," I say. "I'm kind of low on cash right now." I toss Jaws a Sitrus Berry.

"Well, I'm going to find an awesome restaurant here and pig out. I'm famished!" Darius brags. He stretches his arms. "Ah, I'm in a good mood, so I'll treat you to dinner." Then he grins.

Jaws gets an excited look on his face and tosses the berry back at me. I chuckle and nod. "Heh, thanks."

Darius taps on his Pokégear and examines the map. Once he finds what he is looking for, he points down the road and takes off. Jaws and I run after him. He turns a corner, then another, and finally, he stops, staring up at the fanciest building I have ever seen. I stare in awe, for even in Goldenrod City I have never seen such a flashy place. Two tall Exeggutors stand by the entrance, with a bright light display that flashes various images and messages. The sign flashes "The Lucky Egg Casino and Resort" with a picture of a very happy Chansey tossing an egg. Spotlights shine in the cloudy sky. The building is so bright, one would never realize it was even nighttime.

"Wait, I thought we were going to a restaurant…" I say.

"This IS a restaurant!" Darius says excitedly. "And a hotel, and a casino. It's a resort!"

I raise my eyebrow. "It's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Ah, don't worry about that," Darius says casually. "This opened about a month ago and ever since, I've wanted to check it out! It's supposed to put Celadon's Game Corner to shame!"

"Wasn't that place shut down a while back?" I ask.

"Yep," Darius says. "Another reason this place should be AMAZING!" He raises his arms in the air. "Let's go!"

He runs between the two Exeggutor statues and through the front entrance. I look down at Jaws, but he is already chasing after Darius. I shrug and follow suit. When I enter the building, the sight before me is phenomenal. Slot machines and game tables are spread out across the room. It is large and very open, and in the middle stands a massive golden Chansey statue holding an egg. The place is packed with people playing games and the air is filled with sounds of chimes, dings, and coins ringing out people's victories. I must admit, the place does have an air of fun to it.

Darius appears out of nowhere and grabs my hand. "Come!" he shouts over the noise. "First we eat, then we play!"

He pulls me by the hand toward the back of the building. I look around to make sure Jaws does not get lost and find him right next to Darius, staying close to him. We arrive at the restaurant, called "Alola Dream: A Taste of the Tropics". Darius visibly salivates at the scent of all the delicious food. Jaws is actively drooling, and my stomach roars within me. Yep, I think this place will do just fine.

We enter and the hostess greets us. She is a beautiful woman with light-brown hair, green eyes, and a very suggestive islander outfit that makes me think naughty thoughts. I look at the floor and remind myself of what Liz looks like while Darius talks to her.

"Table for three, please," he says, flashing her a seductive smile.

The woman smiles seductively back. "Certainly, sir," she says. "Indoor or outdoor seating?"

Darius slides her a shiny silver card. The woman gasps slightly and I can barely make out the word "Persian" before she places her hand over it, caressing his hand with her fingertips. "Do you have anything more… interesting?" he asks in a very pompous manner.

The woman actually blushes slightly and fans herself. "I'll… see what I can do."

"You do that," Darius says, giving her a wink. The woman walks off, taking the card with her.

Darius looks back at me and sees my raised eyebrow and bizarre look. He goes back to his normal self and shrugs. "What? I'm from Kalos. I know how to talk to these kind of people."

I nod slowly, still weirded out from the exchange. The woman returns and smiles. "Shall I show you to your table, sir?" she asks.

Darius flashes that stupid smile again. "Lead the way," he says. He holds his elbow out. The hostess takes it with her hand and leads the three of us to our table. We step into an elevator, she hits Floor 5, and we go up. The elevator chimes and we step out into a glass hallway. She leads us to the end of the hallway and opens a glass sliding door leading to a private balcony. She gestures to the table.

"This is the best view in the restaurant," she explains. She places menus on the table and pulls a chair for Darius. Darius sits, while Jaws and I sit in our own chairs. "Shall we start with drinks?"

"I'll have a bottle of 1979 Enigma Merlot de Lumiose," Darius says, flashing that ridiculous smile.

The hostess becomes visibly flustered at the mention of his choice. "That…. Is our most expensive wine," she says. I can hear her heart racing.

"I know," Darius says pompously.

The hostess takes several rapid breaths, then asks me what I would have, never taking her eyes off Darius. "I'll have a root beer," I say quickly. She nods, still looking at Darius. "Jaws will have the same," I say. She nods again, breathing heavily as Darius and her make flirty looks at each other. She writes our orders down, then slowly backs out. Darius winks at her and she turns around quickly and walks off.

Once the hostess enters the elevator, Darius lets out a sigh. "Whew, she's finally gone," Darius says. "That was getting tiring."

"What the hell was that?!" I shout.

"What? I'm from Kalos." Darius states again. When he sees my quizzical look, he explains. "When it comes to these fancy pants places, they expect a certain air of importance from their guests. The more important you seem, the better the treatment. Hence, this fantastic view!" He gestures out to his side. I look and he is right; the view is spectacular. From here, we can see over the trees clear to Vermillion City and the ocean. A part in the clouds reveal the moon and its light reflects off the water. The view is breathtaking and I find myself wishing Liz is here to see it.

I shake myself from my thoughts and look at Darius. "This place is ridiculously expensive," I say, pointing to the menu. "Ten thousand for a salad? Thirty thousand for a steak? How do you expect us to afford this?"

Darius leans back and puts his feet up on the railing. "Relax, dude," he says casually. "I told you it's on me." When I clearly do not look convinced, he explains further. "I'm putting it on my Persian Express card. It's Diamond, so they'll give us whatever we want." When I still do not look convinced, he just sighs. "Look, just enjoy it, okay? Don't worry about the costs. Consider it my way of thanking you."

"For what?" I say, surprised.

"For taking me on this adventure, for helping me see the error of my ways so I can become a stronger trainer, I don't know," he rambles. "If I hadn't met you, I probably wouldn't have discovered what was holding me back. I've also never met anyone who cares for Pokémon quite like you. I mean, you kept that weird yellow snake thing, or whatever it is. I've never seen any trainer have one of those things before." I look down. "Your entire team is weird, even Brawny with his big loveable heart, stupid goofy grin, and affinity for hugs. It's weird, and I love it."

Before I can say anything, our sexy hostess arrives with our drinks. She places a giant mug of root beer before me, then one before Jaws. I take a sip and discover it is the best tasting root beer I have ever had. The carbonation is perfect, the vanilla is aged just right, and it slides down my throat so smoothly. I immediately regret being skeptical about this whole experience and decide to take Darius' advice. I will enjoy myself here.

The hostess takes a bottle from an ice bucket and a wine glass and places them in front of Darius. When Darius reaches for the bottle, she takes it from him and says "Allow me, sir." Darius nods and gestures toward the glass. She seductively strokes the neck of the bottle before taking the corkscrew and placing it in the bottle. She slowly turns the corkscrew into the cork. She then pushes down, pops the cork out, and places it aside. I take another sip of root beer, and when I set the mug down, she is bent over the table, pouring the wine into his glass, her bosom seemingly about ready to burst from her top just inches from Darius' face. I spew my root beer off the balcony.

The hostess finishes serving our drinks and takes our orders. I order a Bouffalant Burger (whatever that is) with a side of fries, Jaws asks for a Crawdaunt Supreme, with a double serving of Razz Berry salad, and Darius orders a Farfetch'd Cassoulet with a Lumiose Rinka tart. When the hostess finishes writing our orders, she turns slowly, looking at Darius from over her shoulder, then walks away, exaggerating every step to ensure full motion of her rear. When she disappears into the elevator, I crack up and Darius joins in the laughter.

"What, you don't like her?" I ask between laughs.

Darius shakes his head, wiping a tear away. "Heavens, no," he says. "She's only acting that way because of my card. I'm not into gold diggers."

After we settle down, I decide to prod a little. "So how are you able to afford this place?" I ask.

Darius' eyes narrow. He takes a sip of wine and looks out at the ocean. "I don't like to talk about it," he says. I nod and decide to let it be, but he continues. "But my parents are quite wealthy. I've had that card since I was twelve. My father wouldn't let me go out on my own when Professor Sycamore was handing out Pokémon. He wanted me to take over the family business, so I was raised around a bunch of snobby rich folks. I learned how to blend in to avoid trouble, but once I hit eighteen, I left. My parents cut me off and refused to pay for my card, but my sister helps me out with the payments. She's a famous actress over there, so she is quite wealthy as well. I miss her."

I listen intently as he talks about his upbringing. Apparently, a little alcohol is all it takes to get him to open up. As he finishes up his story, the hostess returns with our meals. Everything looks amazing and I feel myself salivating. She places our food on the table, taking extra time with Darius' plate. She leans over the table as she did with his drink. "Be careful," she says softly. "It's HOT."

"Only because you have been holding it," Darius responds with a wink. The hostess moans slightly. I gag.

After the hostess leaves, we enjoy our food. The burger was moist and delicious and I admit, it was the best burger I have ever eaten. Jaws scarfs his meal down, while Darius savors his. He offers a bite to me, which I accept and despite being an endangered species, the succulent flavor of the Farfetch'd erases any guilt I may have felt. After our meals, the hostess returns with the bill and Darius' card. He signs the receipt, leaves a very generous tip for her, to which she responds with more sexual noises. She then waits patiently while Darius finishes off his glass of wine. He corks the bottle, picks it up, and the hostess escorts us out. As we walk out, Darius graciously bows and kisses her hand. She pulls him in and plants a very sloppy and sensual kiss on his lips, sliding her hand into his pocket. I roll my eyes and look down at Jaws, who has a disgusted look on his face. When they are finished, Darius smiles politely and we walk out. As we turn a corner, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of paper. The paper has the hostess' name and phone number.

"Jenni, with an 'I'," Darius reads. "Even her name is slutty."

"Are you going to call her?" I ask.

"Hell no!" he says, crumpling the paper and tossing it in the trash. "Let's play some games!"

"Er, I don't have the money to gamble," I say. "We should probably think about finding a place to stay."

"Hey hey," Darius says. "I already took care of that." He hands me a keycard.

"Huh?" I look at the card quizzically. "When did you…?"

"Let's not worry about such trivial things," he says, waving his hand. "Let's go have some fun!"

He leads us to a counter, asks for a giant box of chips, then drags us to one of the game tables. He squeezes his way in, while I try to peek through the crowd. It is a large bowl-like table with numbers and squares printed on it. Someone tosses some dice across the table and a guy with a stick shouts "Craps!" A bunch of people groan and the guy who threw the dice storms off. Darius pushes his way to his spot and asks for the dice. He throws a handful of chips onto the table and some of the ladies (and one of the guys) go "ooooh!" He throws the dice and the guy with the stick shouts "Eight!" Some people cheer, and Darius rolls again. The stick guy shouts "Eight again!" and everyone cheers.

"Yes!" Darius shouts.

I fail to understand the game and lose interest pretty quick. I tell Darius we are going to the room, but in response, he hands me a handful of chips. "Here, go have fun!" he says. "Enjoy yourself!"

"Is this a hundred thousand?!" I ask, astonished.

Darius just shrugs and takes a sip from his wine bottle. "I don't know, something like that."

I look at Darius, worried, but decide to let him be. Jaws and I wander the casino, looking at the different games. We try a few slots machines. I win some and lose some, but Jaws is fascinated with all the flashing lights and colorful displays. We eventually move on, and after a while of wandering, we find a nifty game table tucked in the corner of the room. "Voltorb Flip", the sign reads. The table is empty, so I sit down, intrigued. I look it over and ask the attendee how to play.

"This is a game of strategy and logic," he says. "You use calculations to find all the numbered cards while avoiding the Voltorb cards. Use the numbers of the right and bottom to determine what cards are left."

A game of logic? Now this I can do. I sit down, place my bet, then flip the first card. A three appears.

"Good," the attendee says. "Now use that to find the rest of the numbers. Avoid the Voldorbs though!"

I look at the numbers on the sides and start flipping more cards. Soon, all the numbered cards are flipped and I win.

"Congratulations, sir," the attendee says. "You are a natural. Now, you can accept your winnings, or move on to level two, where you can win even more."

I rather like this game, so I choose to move on. As I play, the attendee and I discuss the prospect of this game among the casino, given it is more logic-based than luck-based. He explains that the game is new and it is placed here as an experiment. He also explains that most people that visit places like this are not exactly the most intelligent people and tend to lose fast. The game is also somewhat luck-based since the placement of the cards are random. The game has, so far, brought in more money than paid out, so they see it as a success. I keep playing, making it up to level eight, the highest level available.

"You have done well," the attendee says. "Nobody has ever made it this far."

"I think I'm done," I say, collecting my winnings. "I like this game, though. Thank you for letting me play."

"Anytime, sir," he says with a bow.

I head over to the craps table where I left Darius, and sure enough, he is still there. He has since finished the wine bottle and is quite drunk. I tap him on the shoulder and he looks over. "Yesh?" he slurs.

"Come on," I say. "We should get to bed."

"But I ish on win streak," he fumbles with his words. "You go."

I look at his chip stack. It is significantly smaller than it was when I left. I pick it up. "Come on, buddy," I say calmly. "Let's get you to bed."

Darius looks at the box, then at me and nods. "Yeah… I think you are right."

We head to the elevator, hit the button for the seventeenth floor, and step into the hallway. I help Darius make it to our room, room 1720, and use the keycard he gave me to get inside. The room is glorious, but I concern myself with getting Darius to his bed. He sits and I take his shoes off for him. He looks at me with a sad look.

"Thank you," he says somberly. "I don't deserve a friend like you."

"Hey, don't talk like that," I say. "You're just drunk. Get some sleep and you'll feel better."

Darius nods. "Today is my birthday," he says. "I turned twenty today. Did my parents call? No. They did not. My sister did, though. I'm ashamed that she heard me drunk."

I put his shoes by the door, then take mine off. "Call her tomorrow, when you're feeling better," I say. "She'll understand."

Darius nods again. "That is why you are my friend," he says drunkenly. "You have good ideas."

I shrug. "Good night, buddy."

"Good night." With that, he falls backward and is instantly asleep. I pull him further up the bed, toss a sheet over him, and get ready for bed myself. Jaws climbs onto the couch and curls up, falling asleep. Once I finish brushing my teeth, I climb into my own bed, but find myself staring at the ceiling, my mind wandering. Tonight revealed quite a bit about my new friend, and it has made me realize that we all have our history, we all have our reasons for leaving home, and we all have our own goals. Darius wants to become Champion, and I assume it is to prove something to his parents. As for my goals, I have yet to figure that out. The world was suddenly opened to me in an instant, and despite everything I have been through, everything I have seen, I have not yet decided what I want to do. What will become of my life once I get Jaws home? What can I do? I am not Champion material, so that is out. I know nothing about breeding, so that is gone too. I suppose I could work for Silph, Co. Computers and technology have always interested me. I roll over and look at Jaws, who is sleeping peacefully. I find myself wishing I could keep him, but I maintain my stance that it is he who should choose to do that, not me. At last, sleep hits me like a Rhyhorn and I fall asleep.

I wake up to the rising sun peeking through our curtains. I yawn and sit up, hang my feet over the edge, and slowly step onto the soft carpetted floor. Darius is still snoring away in his bed, and I cannot help but feel sorry for how he will feel when he wakes up. Jaws is also still asleep on the couch, his massive jaw hanging over the edge. I throw some clothes on, grab some of my winnings from last night, and head out of the room, silently closing the door.

I get on the elevator and head to the first floor. I head straight to the gift shop and decide to browse. The shelves are lined with lots of trinkets and staple souvenirs, the typical stuff a tourist would buy. I skip past those and head to the more luxurious gifts. Among these, I find a very detailed statue of Lance, the Indigo Champion. The statue is very fancy and does well to capture his superiority among trainers. It is made from various precious metals and stones and quite expensive. I pull out my winnings, count it really quick, and discover I have more than enough, so I decide to buy it. I take it to the counter, pay for it, then walk out of the store. I stop by the restaurant, order breakfast, and request it be delivered to our room when it is ready. I then get on an elevator and head back up to the room.

When I enter, Darius is attempting to sit up in bed. I close the door and walk over to help him up. When he is sitting up, he grabs his head. "Ugh," he groans.

"How do you feel?" I ask.

"Like an Electrode exploded in my skull," he grumbles.

"I have breakfast on the way," I say.

"Cool." He notices the bag in my hand. "What is that?"

I look at the bag, then hand it to him. "A birthday gift," I say. "I would have gotten you one yesterday, but I didn't know it was your birthday until last night."

Darius looks up at me from under his shaggy bangs. "Ugh," he grumbles again. "Yeah, sorry about that." He takes the bag. "Thank you." He opens the bag and unwraps the statue. He stares at it, then looks at me. "What is this?"

"That is Lance, the Indigo League Champion," I explain. "I figured you would like it, considering it is your goal to become a Champion. Someday, budding trainers will be buying statues of you."

Darius looks at the statue again, then sets it down on the nightstand and smiles. "That's great," he says, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it. How did you afford this?"

"You gave me a ridiculous amount of money last night," I explain. "I won some money." I place a stack of cash on the nightstand next to his statue. "Here's what you gave me."

Darius looks at the stack. "Wow, really?" he asks. "Yeah, I definitely was drunk." He picks up the cash, looks at it for a moment, then hands it back to me. "Keep it. You deserve it."

I shake my head. "No thank you," I say politely, "but I'll keep my winnings."

Darius chuckles. "I'm taking a shower."

While Darius showers, our breakfast arrives. I tip the man, then pull the cart into the room. Jaws stirs from the clattering of dishes and jumps up at the sight of food. He and I eat in silence. Darius finishes his showers, dresses, then joins us. When we finish, we pack up our stuff and head downstairs to check out.

Once we leave the resort, I look in the direction of Silph Co. building. "We're going to Silph Co. before heading to Vermillion," I say.

Darius shrugs. "As long as it's quiet," he grumbles. "My head is pounding."

We walk down the road until we arrive at the Silph Co. building. The building is huge, taking up an entire city block on its own and rising ten stories, with a penthouse. We enter the doors and look around. The lobby is very spacious, with a giant statue of the company's founder in the middle. The receptionist behind the counter smiles and welcomes us.

"Good morning," she says. "Are you here for a tour?"

"Yes, ma'am," I say.

"All right," she says. "Allow me to arrange for a guide to show you around. That will be five thousand, please."

I am about to pay when Darius pushes me aside. "I got this," he says, and pays in cash. The woman takes the cash, taps on her keyboard, then picks up the phone. She talks for a bit, then hangs up.

"Your guide will be here momentarily," she says. "Please have a seat."

We sit down and wait. Jaws does squats to curb the boredom, while Darius leans his head back with his eyes closed. After several minutes, a sharply dressed woman steps off the elevator. "Good morning!" she says way too energetically. "My name is Kim and I'll be your guide for today!"

We get up and follow the guide onto the elevator. She stands by the buttons and once the doors close, she pushes a button to the second floor. The elevator chimes, the doors open, and we step off.

"For our first stop, we have our medical department!" Kim chirps. "This is where research for all medical technology occurs! We have the top minds in the field working day and night creating ways to keep you and your Pokémon healthy!"

As we walk down the designated tour lane, I see several people in lab coats operating many different kinds of machines, carrying test tubes with various fluids inside, and tapping away at keyboards. A large display shows various images and text. These people are clearly working hard and many ignore our presence. I also notice there are many security officers around, and every single one of them watch us closely. While it is interesting to see these people working diligently on medical products, the numerous security officers kind of unnerve me. I understand that one would want to protect their employees and trade secrets, but this is a bit much.

We move to the next elevator, go to the third floor, and step off. "This floor is where we manufacture our medicine!" Kim chimes. "All working formulas are transferred here for mass production!"

The floor is riddled with numerous automated machines, along with a few employees to maintain the equipment. Treadmills carry empty bottles from one machine to another, where they get filled with various medications, potions, and vaccines. A young man in a lab coat and thick glasses approach us and introduces himself.

"Why hello there," he says. "My name is Miles. I run this floor. It is my job to ensure this equipment runs smoothly, fix errors as they come, and make sure all your medical supplies are top notch!"

As we listen to him ramble, I look around. The place it, for the most part, automated and pristine. For someone so young, it is apparent he does his job well. I glance down at Jaws, who is looking bored, Darius is visibly straining to keep his migraine at bay, and I find this particular field to be rather dull. I raise my hand and interrupt.

"Excuse me," I say.

"Yes?" Miles replies.

"I was wondering if it would be possible to sample something," I say.

"Sample?" Miles asks, adjusting his glasses. "Huh, nobody has ever asked that before. What did you have in mind?"

"What is your best headache medicine?" I ask.

"Ah, hmm…" Miles taps his temple with his pen. "I have just the thing." He walks over to a glass cabinet lined with various pills and potions. He opens the door, pulls out a small bottle, and returns to us. He hands me the bottle. It contains five pills. "This will cure just about any headache, including drunken stupors," he says with a wink. "Just don't give it to someone if you suspect they have a concussion."

I smile and thank him, then hand the bottle to Darius. He perks up and takes the bottle. He reaches into his bag, pulls out a bottle of water, and drinks some with a pill. After a few seconds, he starts looking better. "Hey, that works fast!" he exclaims.

Miles crosses his arms and smiles. "Darn right it does!" he beams. "Only the best from Silph, Co!"

"Sir, may I ask why there is so much security here?" I inquiry.

Miles nods. "A couple years back, we used to be quite open with tourists," he explains. "People were free to come and go as they pleased. Then we got hijacked by a group of criminals that called themselves Team Rocket. Ever since then, our president has been quite paranoid. We increased security to help put his mind at ease."

I nod with understanding. We say goodbye and move on to the elevator. Before Kim hits a button, I stop her. "Hey, can we skip ahead?" I ask.

Kim cocks her head. "What do you mean?" she asks.

I glimpse at the buttons and spy one labeled "Genetics". I feel a lump in my chest. I clear my throat and point to the button. "Can we go there?" I ask.

Kim looks for a moment, then nods. "Sure, I suppose so," she says. She presses the button and we skip up to the eighth floor. When the doors open, we are greeted with a stunning display of technology. High definition displays, three-dimentional holographic images, and top of the line equipment are being used by numerous employees to conduct their research. I feel my heart freeze for a second as we walk down the path. I find an interactive terminal with a touchscreen, so I decide to play with it. I tap the screen and a goofy cartoon character consisting of a zero for a head and a one for a body pops up.

"Greetings!" it says. "I'm Mr. Binary! I'm here to help you learn more about the research we do here!" I grumble at the cheesiness of the program. "What would you like to learn about first?"

Several options appear. I tap the one labeled "Virtual Reality". The terminal chimes and Mr. Binary swirls around in a string of ones and zeros. He then reappears on the next screen and begins to speak. "As everyone knows, three years ago, Silph, Co. invented the first virtual reality Pokémon known as Porygon! This Pokémon was used to help fix computer errors, particularly in the Pokémon Storage System, being capable of traveling through cyberspace. Now, the future is here with the development of the Up-Grade!"

A picture of a disc appears and slowly rotates. Mr. Binary continues. "With the Up-Grade, anyone with a Porygon can now effectively evolve it to become the improved Porygon 2! As technology improves, so must our maintenance capabilities improve, and Porygon was growing obsolete. Upgrading was necessary."

I look back at Darius, who is watching a film about various theories of Pokémon origins. A Clefable is on the screen. Jaws watches intently as well. I turn back to the terminal. More options have appeared and I tap the one marked as "Upgrading". The screen transistions and Mr. Binary speaks.

"While it is understandable how Porygon is capable of upgrading, considering it is just biological code," the cartoon says, "Silph, Co. has discovered ways to 'upgrade' natural Pokémon! These items we have developed will induce evolution in Pokémon thought to be incapable of evolving!" Pictures of Onix, Scyther, Magmar, and various other Pokémon, some I know, others I do not recognize, appear on the screen. "By giving these items to your Pokémon, you can force them to evolve and become even stronger! It is like upgrading life itself!"

"Aww, Magmortar isn't natural?" Darius says, disappointed. "Oh well. Hey, dude, you should watch this video. It explains how Silph, Co. accidentally created Gengar by exposing a Clefable to radiation from a Dusk Stone. They then bred the thing, creating Gastly. When they tried to contain the Gastly in Pokéballs, they instead possessed the balls and become Voltorb. It's very interesting… uh, are you okay?"

I stare at this terminal, fists clenched tightly. My heart pounds in my chest at this revelation. I feel anger welling inside me. Darius places a hand upon my shoulder, which I angrily shake off. Jaws tugs on my shorts, but I ignore him. I am lost in my thoughts, lost in the rage swelling withing. Then, suddenly, I hear Kim's obnoxious voice calling out to us.

"Is everything okay?" she asks.

I snap out of my internal conflict and jap the exit button on the screen. "I'm fine," I state coldly. "Let's go."

I storm to the elevator, leaving behind a worried Darius. Jaws chases after me, and we all get on. Before Kim can say anything, I mash the first floor button and we go down. We fall in silence for a minute, then the door opens and I rush out before anyone else. I shove the doors open and step outside. The sudden brightness of sunlight blinds me temporarily and I start to calm down.

Darius rushes after me. He walks up to me and looks me in the eye. "What is up, dude?" he asks. "We didn't finish the tour, but you just stormed out. What's going on?"

I close my eyes and shake my head. "It's just… the things I learned in there… all that genetic engineering, forced evolutions, created Pokémon…" I shake my head again. "It can't be."

Darius cocks his head. "What do you mean?" he asks.

I stare at the ground. "If it is true that Silph, Co. has been tinkering with genetics like that, forcing evolutions, creating Pokémon… then it means…" I stop and clench my fists.

Darius places a hand on my shoulder. "Then it means what?"

I slowly look up and look Darius in the eye. "Then it means Sinnoh was right all along."

"What?" Darius exclaims. "What do you mean 'Sinnoh was right'?"

I take a deep breath. It feels like no matter where I go, the past keeps rearing its ugly head. "Sinnoh attacked because they felt Kanto was tinkering with nature," I explain. "At first, I didn't believe it, but now… after seeing inside Silph, Co…" I stop, unable to process any of my thoughts.

Darius remains silent, and it is probably for the best. I honestly want to be left alone right now. It was hard not knowing why Father had to die, but after finding out from Lugia, I thought I could move on knowing he died a hero. Now it appears he may have been fighting for the wrong side… no. He died protecting me and Mother. He did not care about politics. He just wanted us safe. He wanted us to have a future.

"Hey, I just thought of something," Darius says.

I turn to him. "What?"

"Remember back in Whirl Islands, when we encountered Lugia?" Darius says. "He showed you your father in the war. There was something I noticed there that I noticed here as well."

My eyes widen when Darius says this. "Wait, you saw it too?"

Darius looks down. "Yeah, I saw it too," he says solemnly. "I'm sorry for not saying anything before, but it was something quite personal to you, so I didn't tell you. Lugia kind of projected it out there though."

I sigh. It WAS personal to me, but I do not feel upset by this. In fact, I am actually glad he knows. I do not feel so alone in my feelings now. "So what did you notice?" I ask.

"Well, those items Silph are making to force evolutions on Pokémon once thought to not be capable of evolving," he explains. "I've seen those evolutions before. I saw them in that war." When I look quizzical, he continues. "The Sinnoh elites were using them. Magmortar, Scizor, Steelix… they were all there. Even the Rhyperior that… um…" He stops, and I know why. I nod, assuring him it is okay.

"I think I know where you are getting at," I say. "Silph did not create those evolutions."

Darius nods. "Exactly what I am saying, though that doesn't explain what I saw in the video."

I look at the ground. So many unanswered questions. What was the true reason Sinnoh attacked Kanto? Was Silph, Co. really conducting unnatural and immoral experiments? Was Sinnoh justified? I shake my head. No, there is NO justification for the murder of all those people and Pokémon, for the murder of my father. None.

I look at Darius. "Thank you," I say. "We should get going."

Jaws, Darius, and I walk towards the south gate of the city. The clouds slowly part, allowing sunlight to peek through. A cool breeze blows through the street. The streets are still bustling, as if the city never slept last night. We approach the gate and walk through. The moment we step inside, I hear a familiar voice. "Let me go! I didn't do anything!"

I look in the direction of the voice and see the gate guard questioning a girl dressed in a pirate outfit. Jess! I nudge Darius. "Look who it is!"

Darius looks over and his eyes get wide. I can actually hear his heart pound against his ripcage, thought the real question would be, is he excited about seeing her or excited about maybe seeing her Articuno?

"What are you up to?" the guard demands.

Jess glowers up at the guard. "I haven't done anything wrong," she growls. "Just let me go! This is a violation of my rights!"

"You don't get to make demands here!" the guard growls.

Darius walks over to the guard. "Excuse me, but what seems to be the problem?"

Jess looks up, but I am unsure if she is pleased to see us, or annoyed. The guard looks down at Darius. "Back off, kid," he growls. "This is adult business."

"He thinks I'm some kind of criminal based on how I'm dressed!" Jess shouts angrily.

"Shut it, woman!" the guard growls.

"What are your reasons for detaining her?" Darius asks.

"I told you to go away!" the guard shouts, then shoves Darius back.

Darius clears his throat and shakes his head. He reaches into his pocket, pulls out his wallet, then flashes his ID. "You clearly don't know who you're talking to," he says confidentally. "Darius Skyheart, son of Maximus Skyheart. You may have heard of him." The look on the guard's face tells me he has. "Now, as a member of such a prestigious company, you are expected to act accordingly. Everything you say and do will ONLY bring credit upon the company and my father. Do I make myself clear?"

The guard snaps to attention and nods. "Yessir!" he shouts.

"Good,"Darius says, crossing his arms. "Now answer my question..." He narrows his eyes, reading the guard's name badge. "…Officer Durpé. Why have to detained this woman?"

The guard fumbles with his words, but finally answers. "She looks suspicious, sir!"

Darius frowns. "Is that so?" he says sternly. "What are your post orders?"

The guard slumps a little, looking defeated. "To maintain everything within the limits of my post, and quit my post only when properly relieved. To observe all activity within the limits of my post and report all suspicious activity to the authorities. To prevent all illegal activity from occurring within the limits of my post."

Darius raises a finger. "What was that second one again?"

The guard repeats, "To observe all activity within the limits of my post and report all suspicious activity to the authorities."

"Ah ha!" Darius says. "'Observe and report'. So you observed with suspicious woman. To whom did you report it to?" The guard fidgets, but does not say anything. "I thought not. Where in the Security Officer's manual does it say you can detain a suspicious person?" The guard again does not say anything. "If my memory serves me, page 56, section 3 states that you may not detain an individual unless that individual has committed a forcible felony. What forcible felony has she committed?" The guard remains silent. Darius shakes his head. "Hmm…. this is not good. I'm going to have to report this to my father. I suggest you let her go."

The guard turns pale and quivers, but turns around and motions for Jess to get up. She stands up slowly, glaring at the guard the entire time, and walks over to Darius. Darius stares at the guard for a moment, then nods. "Return to your post, Officer Durpé."

I watch incredibly as the guard does what he is told. He returns to the counter and remains standing. Darius starts walking towards the south exit and Jaws and I follow. Jess glares once more at the guard, then follows us. When we step outside, Darius starts laughing. "I enjoyed that way too much!" he says.

"What was that all about?" I say.

"My father is the CEO of Skyheart Security Forces," he explains. "That is the business he was grooming me for."

Skyheart Security Forces? Holy crap! No wonder he is so wealthy. His father is the head of the one of the largest corporations in the world. TSF is a global security company, with branches in every region from Johto to Orre! Every high-end company wants their guards because they are the best. Expensive, but very well trained. Except Officer Durpé, obviously, but I suspect he will not have a job much longer.

"Just wow," is all I manage to say.

Jess walks over and looks at Darius, hands on her hips. "I didn't need your help, you know," she says, scowling. "I can take care of myself."

"You're welcome," Darius says smugly. Jess growls, but I can see her cheeks are slightly flushed. "So what brings you around here? Still investigating?"

Jess frowns. "Yeah, but Silph Co won't let me in," she grumbles. "Bad history with them."

"Perhaps a change of clothing is in order?" I suggest. Jess glares at me like I just suggested she slap her own grandmother.

"We found out Silph has been doing genetic experiments," Darius says. "How far it goes, though, we're not sure. I'm sure the stuff we were allowed to see are the things they are trying to sell. I'm willing to bet there is more to it than just that."

I look at the ground. Jess glances over at me and frowns. "What's his deal?"

Darius opens his mouth to speak, but then stops. "That's up to him if he wants to tell," he says.

"My father was killed in the war," I explain. "I am hoping that someday, I can find out why he had to die, why this war even occurred."

Jess' face softens with empathy. "I'm sorry," she says. "I know your how you feel. My parents died too. They were killed in the assault on Saffron City." Jess takes a deep breath. "I'll help you out. There is an abandoned building on Cinnabar Island. It may hold the answers you are looking for."

I look up at Jess. "What is it about this building?" I ask.

"Rumor has it that the building was once a laboratory," she explains. "As of now, it is called the Pokémon Mansion because it is overrun by various Pokémon. Be careful."

"Thanks," I say.

Jess looks at Darius. "Give me your Pokégear," she says. Darius looks at her suspiciously, but Jess just rolls her eyes and grabs his arm. "I'm not going to steal it." She punches a bunch of buttons, then lets go. "I put my number in there. Call me if you discover anything of interest." She narrows her eyes at him, but again, her cheeks flush slightly. "This does NOT mean you can just call me whenever you want." With that, she releases her Articuno, jumps on, and takes off.

Darius stares in awe at the gorgeous bird. He smiles, then looks at his Pokégear. Jess' number has been programmed into his phone, along with a note that reads "Take care of yourself." Darius beams.

As for me, I think on Jess' words. This building on Cinnabar Island may hold answers, but it also may not. Do I take the detour and explore? Can Jess be trusted? She has not done anything so far to not deserve it. Then it hits me. The other things she said start swirling through my mind. Her name, the way her parents died, her past, it sounds awfully familiar. I rack my brain, putting pieces together, and then it hits me. Liz… she said her parents died in Saffron as well. She said her sister Jess challenged the Hoenn League. Jess said Team Aqua tried to raise a legendary Pokémon in Hoenn. Can it really be true? Is Jess really… Liz' sister?


	9. Chapter 9: Truths Revealed

The clouds in the sky begin to part and the sunlight breaks through, shining down upon Route 6. The road does not appear to be very long according to the map, so we should be able to make it to Vermillion before dinner. The grass is quite tall along this route and Jaws is having a blast jumping in and chasing out various wild Pokémon. A breeze blows through and I detect a faint scent of the ocean. I feel nostalgic and a bit homesick. I decide I will call Mother and Liz when we get to Vermillion.

I hear a tussle in the grass. I look over and Jaws comes tumbling out with a white and brown Pokémon with a gold coin attached to its head. The two scratch and claw at each other while rolling through the grass. Jaws kicks the Pokémon off and jumps to his feet. The two square off, with the other's claws drawn.

"Whoa, buddy!" I say. "What did you get into?"

"Hey, actually, this might be a good thing," Darius says. "That's a Meowth. You should catch it! They're great at finding extra money that people drop. They're good luck!"

"I don't know about the good luck part," I say, "but I could always use some extra cash."

I pat my pockets, then look over at Darius. Darius just shakes his head and tosses me a Great Ball. "You really need to get your own," he says.

I just shrug. I turn to Jaws, who has the Meowth in his massive jaw. The Meowth flails its arms and legs around, trying to get free. I give him a look, to which he responds with a sullen look and then spits the Meowth out. Meowth flops onto the ground. As soon as it hits the ground, I throw the Great Ball. Meowth gets pulled in, it wobbles a few times, then clicks. I smile. Jaws picks up the ball and hands it to me. "That was easy," I say. "You must have really worn it out." Jaws just shrugs.

"Sweet!" Darius says.

Suddenly, the tall grass where Jaws and Meowth rolled out of starts rustling again. The three of us back up, prepared for anything. Finally, a head peeks out of the grass. It is a young boy on his hands and knees, crawling through the grass. I guess I was not prepared for everything.

"Excuse me," the boy says. "Have you seen a Meowth around here?"

I look down at the boy. He stands up and dusts himself off. The boy looks no older than seven, with shaggy lime-green hair and dark red eyes. His clothes are dirty from crawling around and he has grass in his hair. I glance down at the Great Ball in my hand. "Yeah, I just caught one," I say.

The boy looks down. "Oh," he says. "I was trying to get that one, but you got it instead." He looks quite sad.

I look down at the ball. It is no loss for me, really, so I make my decision. "Well, then, here," I say, extending my hand. "You can have it."

The boy looks up. "Really?" he says, hopeful.

I nod. "I have no attachment to it yet," I say, "and you look like you really want it. So here. Take good care of it."

The boy's eyes go wide with joy. "Thank you so much!" he says happily. "My name is Joshua."

"Nice to meet you, Joshua," I greet. "My name is Crono."

Joshua grins. "Come with me," he says. "I want to introduce you to my daddy!"c

I look at Darius, who just shrugs. I look back at Joshua and nod. "All right," I agree. Where is the harm?

Joshua grabs my hand and pulls me into a run. We run through a bunch of grass and shrubs, then come to an overgrown dirty path. Down the path, I see a small house; simple, nothing fancy, with a small fenced-in yard. On the side of the house, many trees and bushes grow bearing various berries. Among the trees, a man in a straw hat tends the plants. He hears our footsteps and looks up. He smiles and waves at Joshua.

Joshua runs up to the man and hugs him. "Daddy," he says. "I have something for you!"

"Oh?" The man looks curious. Joshua hands him the Great Ball. His father looks at it with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?"

"A Meowth," Joshua says. "Now your store will have good luck!"

Joshua's father looks at his boy and a small tear forms in the corner of his eye. He takes the ball and hugs Joshua again. "You are such a sweet boy," he says. "Thank you."

Joshua smiles. "This is Crono," he says, pointing to me. "He gave it to me. Can he stay for dinner?"

The man looks at us with a sad look. "I'm afraid we don't have enough to feed them all," he says. "I didn't make much money today. I'm sorry."

"But I want to thank him for the Meowth," Joshua says sadly. "Wait… I know!" Joshua runs up to me. "How about we trade?"

"Huh?" I look at him, puzzled. "Oh no, there is no need to thank…"

"Hold on! I'll be right back!" Joshua runs into the house.

I watch as the boy dashes into his house. His father looks back, then approaches me. "He has always been so full of energy," he says. "The name is Michael. So you gave him a Meowth, huh?"

I nod. "It was fighting Jaws here in the grass," I explain. "After I caught it, your son said he had been trying to get it himself. I have no attachment to it, so I gave it to him."

"I see," the man nods. "Thank you for your generosity. It's good to know there are still kind people in the world. I would offer you some refreshments, but I'm afraid my store hasn't been getting the business it used to."

"No worries," Darius says. "We're on our way to Vermillion anyway. Do you know how much further it is?"

"About a twenty-minute walk, right around the pond and through the trees," Michael says.

"Sweet, thanks," Darius says.

"Why hasn't your business been doing well?" I ask.

Michael sighs. "The soil in Kanto is not the most fertile," he explains. "We can grow some berries here, but it takes a lot of work to get the trees to produce numerous quality fruit. Recently, a new shop opened in Vermillion that has been importing berries from Hoenn. The land in Hoenn is quite fertile, given the volcano out there, and the store has been stocked with all kinds of exotic berries. Now, everyone wants to go there, even for the ones I sell, because they're 'exotic'."

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir," I say, not really knowing what else I should say.

"It's okay," Michael says. "I may just have to give it up and find a new line of business."

I stroll through his garden. The berries look ripe, juicy, and delicious. I see Oran, Sitrus, Leppa, and many others, all growing quite well, as least from my non-agricultural viewpoint. I certainly would buy from this man. To think others would choose the other store over his, those other berries must really be impressive. During my travels, I have come to realize just what the war has done to this country. The rich survived just fine, but the little people, like Michael and Joshua, struggle every day to make ends meet. A lot of children leave home at such a young age with dreams of challenging the League and becoming Champion, but very few ever make it to the Elite Four, and yet even fewer make it to Lance. For many, the League is the only hope they have at a life.

I point to the Sitrus berries growing on the tree. "How much for those?" I ask.

Michael looks at me. "Oh, you don't want those right now," he says. "I mean, they are edible now, but they will be at their best tomorrow morning."

"That's all right," I say. "I'll take a dozen."

Michael frowns. "Are you sure? They'll be their ripest in the morning."

I nod. "Yes, I'll take them now."

Michael beams. "All right, then! That will be two thousand."

I hand him the cash, then look back at Darius. "Would you like to buy some, Darius?"

"Oh, no thanks," he says. "I want to check out that other stor…" I glare at Darius. "…I mean, yes, I'll take a dozen Leppas please!"

Darius hands him some cash and Michael hands us our baskets of berries. Finally, Joshua comes running out of the house, a Pokéball gripped tightly in his hand. He runs up to me, panting, but grinning as well. He hands me the Pokéball.

"Here," he says. "A Pokémon for a Pokémon."

"Huh?" I take the ball and look at it. "No, really, I appreciate the offer, but it isn't necessary."

"No, please take it," Joshua insists.

I glance over at Michael and he nods. I look back at Joshua and smile. "Okay," I say. "Thank you."

"No, sir," he says. "Thank you. Now Daddy's store will have good luck."

The boy's words tug at my heart strings and I smile again. The heartwarming gesture from this young boy moves me beyond words. To think in the light of such hardship and poverty, this young boy still wants to generously provide me with a gift. I take it graciously. Joshua looks so pleased and I am glad I could make this boy so happy.

"Now throw it!" he says.

I chuckle and give the ball a toss. Clearly, he wants to see the look on my face when I see what he gave me. The ball pops open and a bunch of whitish egg-like creatures appear. A couple look cracked, with one with a chunk of shell missing, its insides visible. Each have an angry face on it.

"Oh geez," I hear Darius grumble.

I just grin. I already know what is going through his mind, and I cannot help but think Exeggcute will make a great addition to my team. Jaws looks in awe and has already picked up the broken one to look inside. The other eggs jump on Jaws, freaking him out. He drops the one he was holding and leaps back. The eggs collect together and start hopping angrily in front of him. It is a humorous sight!

"Oh my," Michael says. "Are you sure you want to give up your Exeggcute?"

Joshua crosses his arms and grins. "I'm sure!"

I pull the creatures back into the ball and smile. "Thank you, Joshua," I say. "I'll take good care of Exeggcute."

We say our good-byes and head back down the dirt road. Joshua waves as us until we disappear into the brush. Once we hit the main road again, we follow Michael's directions to get to Vermillion. Along the way, I hear Darius mutter something about having another weird Pokémon on my team, but I ignore him. For me, this Pokémon represents something special; the generosity of a young boy despite his present hardship. Even in the face of poverty, he has the heart to give. My faith in humanity has grown, and I find myself thinking that if we all were a little more like Joshua, the world would be a much better place.

Vermillion City is a noisy city, with people coming and going, and the sound of construction going on in the east part of the city. The sun sinks lower from within the clouds, threatening to dip into the ocean and embrace the world in darkness. Jaws yawns and I follow suit. The day had been surprisingly long and I find myself ready for sleep already. Despite the night prior, Darius seems brimming with energy, ready to explore this new town.

Off in the east part of town, one building stood amongst the construction. A sign reads "Forbidden Fruit: Berries of the World" above the door. Darius' eyes widen at the sight, but when I glare at him, he clears his throat and says "Hey, we should get our tickets!" He starts meandering toward the dockhouse.

We get to the dockhouse and ask for tickets for Slateport City, Hoenn. The woman looks at us apologetically. "I'm sorry," she says, "but due to a storm in the area, Slateport has postponed all ships. They estimate the storm to pass within the next twenty-four hours, but the ships won't be ready for another day after. We are looking at six days, at least, before ships arrive here."

"Uugghh!" Darius groans loudly. "What is with these ships? First the ships in Olivine, now the ships at Slateport?" He looks at me sharply and I am taken aback for a moment. "You're bad luck!"

"Hey, why me?" I ask.

Darius turns back to the lady. "All right," he says, clearly aggravated. "So give us the first ship available." He slides her what I assume is his fancy card.

The woman's eyes go wide for a split second, then taps away on her computer. "While it is just an estimate," she says, her computer screen reflected in her glasses, "but the first ship to Slateport is estimated to depart at 6am on Thursday."

Darius glances at his Pokégear, then taps a few buttons. He looks back at the woman. "How long is the trip?"

"From here to Slateport, travel time runs about three days," the woman replies.

Darius furrows his brow, as if he is contemplating something, then finally nods. "Fine," he grunts. "Give us your best suite."

The woman's eyes go wide and she smiles big. "Yes sir!" she says excitedly.

After getting our tickets, Darius looks at me. "You're lucky I like you," he says. I cannot tell if he is joking or being serious.

We leave the dockhouse, wander out into the open part of town, then Darius stops. He looks around and sighs. "Six days," he grumbles. "What do we do for six days?"

I shrug. "It is my first time here as well," I say. "I don't know the area."

Darius pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes, thinking. After a few minutes, he grunts. "Ugh, thinking hurts right now," he says. He pulls out the pills he got from Silph, Co, pops a pill, and chugs it down with some water. After a few seconds, he visibly looks much better. "Ah, that's the stuff."

Darius puts the pills away, then looks at me. "Sorry for snapping at you," he apologizes. "I'm just eager to get to Hoenn."

"I don't blame you," I sympathize. "This trip has taken quite a bit longer than I expected… is that Jess?!"

I notice a familiar blue figure walking toward the new berry shop. I point to her and Darius squints. A subtle smile creeps onto his face. "It sure is," he says, trying to contain his excitement. "Let's go say hi!"

Before I could protest, Darius starts walking hastily toward the store. Before we get there, Jess disappears inside. Darius reaches the door and the three of us peek in. Unable to see anyone, I open the door and we walk inside.

The scent of berries wafts into my nostrils. The mixture of different aromas tickles my olfactory sensors and I feel a mild high. The numerous scents are quite pleasing and I feel like I just entered a tropical paradise. As we walk around, Darius starts noticeably drooling as he walks by the Razz Berries. I snap my fingers and he looks at me, wiping his mouth.

"Remember, we're not buying anything here," I say. Darius looks sullen, but nods.

As we approach the back, I hear voices coming from the storeroom. I cannot make out the words, but it is clear there are multiple people. We creep closer and closer, then as we round a corner, we come face to face with none other than Jess. Startled, Jaws and I leap back, but Darius stands his ground. Jess pushes her face just inches from Darius'.

"What are you doing here?!" she whispers angrily. Darius opens his mouth to answer, but no words comes out. Jess glowers angrily at him. "Get OUT of here! You're going to give away my presence!"

"What are YOU doing here?" I demand.

"I happen to be following a lead!" she growls. "Now please, if you would just…"

She stops and looks over her shoulder. In the doorway of the stockroom, a man wearing an apron stands with a basket of Razz Berries. He stares at us with surprise. "Um, excuse me, but we are closed," he says.

Jess grumbles. "So much for the element of surprise," she mutters. She shoves Darius away and charges the man. The man yelps, dropping the basket, and tries to run, but gets slammed by Jess. She pins him to the wall, hand gripping his collar and her arm pressed against his collar bone, just millimeters from his throat. The man looks genuinely terrified and for good reason; I have been on his end of one of Jess' death grips and it sucks.

"Where is he?" she growls at him.

The man shakes his head. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Jess pulls the man from the wall, then slams him back into it. "I know he's here!" she growls. "I heard you two talking! Where IS he?!"

The man gulps. "I… he's not here!" he winces. "He just left!"

"What were you talking about?" she demands. "Answer me!"

"It was purely business, I swear!" he cries.

"What kind of business?" she asks.

The man shakes his head. "They'll kill me if I tell!"

"I'll kill you if you don't!" Jess growls. "Die now or die later. At least later, you have time to hide."

The man sheds a tear. "The store is a front," he says, defeated. "They funded my business as long as they could use it to transport their goods. I get my berries, they get their stuff. I… I couldn't refuse."

Jess glares at the man. He is clearly terrified and I get the impression he is not lying. "What kind of stuff?" Jess asks.

"That's all I know, I swear!" he snivels.

Jess holds him for a few more seconds, then lets him go. He sinks to his knees and stares at the floor. Jess grumbles as she ponders what she just learned. Finally, she reaches into her pocket, pulls out an electronic card, and drops it in front of the man. He looks at it and slowly picks it up.

"Take whatever cash you have, go to the location on that card, and tell them the passphrase," she explains. "Memorize everything on that card quickly, because it will self-ignite in five minutes. They will keep you safe." She turns around and walks away. Jaws and I follow, leaving the broken man behind.

Darius looks around, then scoops up the Razz Berries into the basket. "I'm taking these, you mind?" he says, then catches up to us.

Once outside, Jess visibly expresses her frustration. She stomps the ground, kicks the dirt around, and finally, picks up a stone and throws it at a bulldozer. The stone clangs loudly against the metal, and we hear a man in the distance shout "hey!" Jess storms off, with the three of us in tow.

Darius reaches out and gently touches Jess' shoulder. Jess angrily turns and slaps his hand away. She holds her finger up and Darius freezes, hands up. She glares at him, then her faces softens ever so slightly. She lowers her finger, looks at him for a moment, then continues walking. Darius drops his hands and sighs.

"Look, I'm sorry, all right?" he says sincerely.

Jess stops. Her fists are clenched and even from behind, she still looks very angry. "You had no business being there," she says, trying to control her rage. She turns and looks at him. "I was THIS close to getting him. THIS CLOSE!"

Darius furrows his brow, but stands his ground. "Look, I was concerned," he says. "You have a knack for getting into trouble."

"I can take care of myself, thank you!" Jess shouts.

"And what would you have done had you gotten him?" Darius shouts back.

Jess raises her finger again, but then stops. She stared at him hard, but does not say anything.

"Do you think he, whoever this man is, would have cracked as easily as the shopkeeper?" Darius says. "Do you think you would have learned what you just did from him?"

"We have interrogation techniques!" Jess argued. "We could have extracted it and much more!"

"Look," Darius says calmly. "I may be a naïve Kalos boy, but I know that people like this guy you are chasing do not break easily, and even if he did break, chances are, he knows just enough to do his job and nothing more. This way, you effectively shut down branch of their operation."

"At what cost?!" Jess screams. "A poor man that got involuntarily pulled into their scheme? His life is done! He's finished! He will be hunted for the rest of his life!"

Darius looks sullen, but not out. "And what if he was not alone?" he asks.

Jess stops. I can tell it was something she had not considered. Darius continues.

"What if he had friends there? What if the shopkeeper was part of their crew, undercover? Would you be able to fend them off alone?" Darius takes a deep breath. "I know you have that powerful Articuno, but in a store like that, do you really think it would be capable of maneuvering at all in there?"

"I have others," Jess says. "They can handle it."

"Why must you do this alone?" Darius presses. "It is always better to have backup. Where is your backup?"

This visibly strikes a nerve in Jess. She looks long at Darius before answering. "I… I don't need to answer that," she says. "Just… mind your own business."

Darius glances at me, clearly asking for me to help out. I clear my throat and look at Jess. "I think what he is trying to say," I attempt to explain, "is you don't have to do this alone. We have about a week before our ship leaves to Slateport. We can help."

Jess' face softens more. "You're going to Hoenn?" she asks. I nod. She looks at Darius, who also nods. Her brow is furrowed, but I can see her anger is fading quickly. She unclenches her fists and she begins to relax. "All right."

"What?" Darius asks.

"All right!" Jess grunts. "I accept your help; BUT! You will do exactly what I say, got it?!"

Darius and I nod. Jaws looks at me, then Darius, then back at Jess and nods too. A subtle hint of a smile cracks on Jess' face. She turns and starts walking. "Come!" she barks. "We'll find a place to rest."

Darius runs up and walks next to Jess. She glares at him, but makes no motion to shoo him away. Jaws and I hang back a bit, letting them walk together by themselves. I watch as Darius offers her a Razz Berry. "Would you like one?" he asks.

"You can't eat those raw," she says.

"Ah, but you can," Darius says. "The flavor is a little dry, with a hint of spiciness, but it is quite good. Let this Kalos boy show you how."

As we walk toward the hotel, I enjoy watching Darius and Jess share Razz Berries. He shows her how to eat them raw, to which she is surprised by the flavor. For the first time since we met her, I see a genuine smile on her face. Her smile warms my heart, and I am suddenly reminded of Liz and her sparkling smile. I feel a twinge of homesickness, and remind myself to call her and Mother when I get to my room.

Once we get to the hotel, Jess approaches the counter. "The rooms are on me," she says. She turns to the clerk. "Two rooms, please," she requests.

Two rooms? I glance at Darius and see he is wondering the same thing. He has a subtle hint of excitement. Jess looks at us. "You two don't mind sharing a bed, right?" she asks. Darius' smile falls off his face.

"Ah, no, it's fine," I say.

Darius grumbles. "Diantha's going to kill me," he mutters under his breath. He slaps his Persian Express card on the counter. "Give us your three-room suite."

Jess gives Darius an incredulous look. I nudge her and when she looks at me, I swipe my hand under my neck, signaling her to not mention it at all. She just stares blankly at me. The clerk swipes the card, then hands us the keys. We get onto the elevator, head up to the top floor, and walk down the hallway to our room. When we get inside, Jess immediately claims the room at the far end, away from the other two rooms.

"We're leaving first thing in the morning," she states. When she opens the door to her room, her jaw falls open. She clears her throat. "Ah, we'll leave before lunch. We're heading to Cinnabar Island. That Pokémon Mansion should hold some answers for the both of us." She continues to admire the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need a shower." With that, she enters her room and closes the door.

Darius and I look at each other and laugh. We say our good nights and disappear into our own rooms. I take my backpack and jacket off and hang them on the coat rack. Jaws jumps onto the bed and sprawls out. He looks blissful and I cannot find the heart to ask him to sleep on the couch. I take a shower, get cleaned up, then I call Mother. We talk for a bit, letting each other know how we are doing. After several minutes of conversation, we say our goodbyes, and I call Liz. After some pleasantries, I decide to start prying a bit.

"Hey Liz," I start. "A while back, you mentioned your sister Jess had challenged the Hoenn League."

"Ah, yes, I did," she says. "What about her?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you still talk to her?" I start to feel a little nervous, hoping she does not think I am prying too much.

"It has been a while," she says, "but not too long ago. She trains a lot, so we don't talk much."

"Ah, so she is still in Hoenn, then?" I ask.

"Last time I talked with her, yes," she says. "Why do you ask?"

"Ah, hehe," I laugh nervously. "It's just I met someone named Jess, and her smile reminded me of you, so I just thought I'd ask."

"Aww, you're so sweet," she says. I can hear that radiant smile in her voice and I feel like heart melt like butter.

We talk for a while more, and before I know it, it is past midnight. We say good night and I hang up. Jaws is on one side of the bed, snoring away. I tuck him in, change into some pajamas, and slip under the covers. I sink into the soft, silky sheets and I feel the Drowzees tugging at my eyelids. It does not take long before I drift off into a restful slumber.

I wake up in total darkness, surrounded by a rancid hot stench. For a moment, I panic, not knowing where I was. The next moment, I realize my entire head is engulfed by Jaws' massive jaw. I flail my arms and try to pry his jaw open. I still hear him snoring, so I get out of bed, and with him hanging from my face, I fumble my way to the shower, turn on the cold water, and dunk him in the icy stream. Jaws wakes with a start and promptly lets go. He falls into the tub and flails about, attempting to escape the slippery tub. I turn the water off and he stops, looking up at me. I look back at him, then pick him up.

"Next time, you get your OWN bed!" I say. I set him down. He shakes himself off and runs out of the bathroom.

I wash my face, then walk out and get dressed. After strapping my Pokégear to my wrist, I check the time. The clock reads 10:17am, Saturday. So much for leaving first thing in the morning. I am amazed I slept in so long. I must have been really tired. I walk out of my room and head to the dining room.

Darius and Jess are already awake. Darius is at the stove, cooking some food, while Jess is at the counter, chopping up vegetables. It is clear to me they have been up for a while, and I feel just a little guilty for sleeping in. I glance over the counter at the vegetables Jess is chopping up. "What's for breakfast?" I ask.

Jess points to Darius with her thumb. "Ask the chef," she says. "I'm just doing what he says."

Darius turns around and grins. "We are having Fearow egg omelets, with a side of Tartine de Lumiose, made with fresh Razz Berry jam, and freshly squeezed Razz Berry juice."

"You sure love your Razz Berries," I say.

Jess glances over at him, not exactly smiling, but with a sunnier look than usual. "I have to admit, I never expected them to have so many uses," she says. She continues chopping the vegetables.

Jaws and I sit at the table, awaiting our meals. Darius snaps his fingers. Jess scoops up the vegetables into a bowl and hands them to him. He sprinkles them with elegance over the omelets, adds a little cheese, folds them up, and skillfully flips them. A minute later, each omelet is cooked to perfection and served onto a plate. A ding rings across the kitchen and Darius glides across the kitchen to the toaster oven. He pulls out some golden-brown brioche, tosses them onto separate plates, and Jess quickly lathers them in Razz Berry jam. He then pours four glasses of Razz Berry juice. He takes his apron off and hangs it up. "Breakfast is served," he says with a grin.

He and Jess bring over Jaws' and my meal, then retrieve their own plates. I take a whiff and start salivating. The combined smells of the omelet, the vegetables, and jam combine to create a blissful aroma. I find myself wondering if this is what Heaven smells like. I take a bite and my mouth explodes in divine flavor. "Wow, this is really good!" I say.

"Thanks!" Darius says happily. "Something I picked up in Unova, combined with a taste of home. Normally, I would use Unfezant eggs, but considering we're in Kanto, Unfezant is not exactly common here."

Jess says nothing, simply eating her food. She does not exactly look happy, but she definitely is not angry like she was last night. Perhaps that IS her happy face? Still, I cannot help but think that she still looks like Liz, albeit a grumpy Liz. I look over a Jaws, who is happily slurping down his juice. I continue eating.

"Once we're done here," Jess finally says after several minutes of silence, "we will head to Cinnabar Island. If we are to solve this thing before your ship leaves, we mustn't waste time."

"Because the hour-long shower you took this morning wasn't a waste?" Darius says with a smirk.

Jess glares at him, cheeks slightly flushed. "I got up early to go for a run," she says. "More productive than snoring away until 9:00."

I snicker. "Yeah, Darius, you're definitely not a morning person!"

Darius sticks his tongue out at me and keeps eating. I think I hear Jess snicker as well, but it is so faint, it could easily have been my imagination. After we finish our meals, we pack up our stuff and head out.

Jess takes the lead and we walk to the dock. She looks out over the sparkling serene waters and points. "In that direction is Cinnabar Island," she explains. "Now, we have two options. We can either ride our Pokémon out there, or we can fly out there. With weather like this, flying would be the best option and the quickest." She looks back at us. "You ready?"

Darius pulls out Talonflame's ball and holds it up. "Yep!"

Jess looks at me and I just shrug. "Er… I left my HootHoot at home, hehe," I say, scratching the back of my head.

Jess frowns and grunts. "Well, fine, I suppose we can Surf there," she says, disappointedly. "It'll take longer, and quite frankly, I don't want to be bothered by all the wannabe Champions swimming about, but we don't have a choice, do we? I have my Wailord, what about you guys?"

Darius holds up Lapras' ball. I shrug again. Jess sighs. "Well, aren't you all kinds of useless?" she groans. "Okay, screw it. We're flying and you can ride with me." She summons her Articuno. I see the look of extreme jealousy on Darius' face and laugh to myself. Jess jumps on, then motions me to get on as well. "Well, come on and get on. And don't you dare try anything funny!"

"Don't worry, I have a girlfriend," I assure her.

Darius looks sadly at his Talonflame's ball, then summons her. He strokes her feathers, then jumps on. "Totally not fair," he mutters to himself, unaware I could totally hear him.

I look at Jaws and take out his Luxury Ball. "Hey, it will be just for a little while," I say softly. Jaws looks at me, nods, then pushes the button himself. He gets pulled in and I pocket the ball. I then jump on with Jess.

"All right, let's go!" Jess shouts, and she gently kicks Articuno. Articuno takes off and up into the air we go, with Darius not far behind.

The sensation of flying through the air on the back of such a graceful creature is phenomenal! The salty air, the cool breeze through my hair, the amazing view, the surprisingly soft feathers of this majestic bird's back; it all comes together into one of the best moments of my life. A flock of Pidgey flies alongside us for several minutes, chirping at one another. Down below, I see the SS Aqua taking off for Olivine City, and off to the south, along the horizon, I catch a faint glimpse of Mt. Ember of the Sevii Islands. The view is spectacular and I make a mental note to get a bird of my own so I can do this.

On our way to Cinnabar Island, I decide I want to ask Jess some questions. There is something I just have to know. "Hey Jess," I say. She glances back. "Where are you originally from?"

Jess furrows her brow. "What, are you trying to get friendly with me?" she grunts. "I thought you had a girlfriend?"

"I'm just curious," I lie. "Besides, if we're going to work together, best know who you're working with, right?"

Jess narrows her eyes, but then nods. "All right," she says. "I was born and raised here, in Kanto. We lived in Saffron City. When the war hit, my parents sent me to live with my grandparents in Johto. Due to the nature of my parents' jobs, they had to stay." She frowns and I detect a bit of sadness in her voice. I already know why, but let her continue. "My parents were killed in the assault on Saffron. 'Collateral damage', the Army said. I was crushed."

"I understand how you feel," I say. "I lost my father in the war too."

Jess looks back at me empathetically. "It's rough, huh?" she asks. I nod. "I couldn't bear the loss. I got into fights in school. I made trouble for the neighborhood. I was pretty messed up. I ended up leaving when I was sixteen and never looked back. That was six years ago."

"What did you do when you left?" I ask.

"Nosy guy, aren't you?" she grunts, then sighs. "I stowed away on a ship to Hoenn. I couldn't stand being in Johto, surrounded by all the reminders of the war. I needed to get away, anywhere. Hoenn just happened to be the destination of the ship I picked, so I went with it. Started anew. Caught my first Pokémon there, a Poochyena. From there, I challenged the League. I didn't make it far, though, and lost to Brawly."

"That's tough," I say. "You didn't give up, though, did you?"

Jess grunts again. "I was broke. I couldn't afford balls, I couldn't afford potions, I could barely feed myself, let alone Poochyena. I was desperate, but at the same time, I couldn't face my family after running away like that and failing. So I lied. I kept telling them I was training to challenge the league, when in reality, I was sleeping in a bridge. That's when he found me." She trails off.

When she mentions this man, her voice gets soft. Whoever this man was, he sure left a profound impression on her. Perhaps… she's in love with this man? "Who found you?" I ask, prodding deeper.

"Why am I telling you all this?!" Jess shouts. "Stop being so nosy!" She growls to herself, but the look in her eyes tells me that she wants to keep going. "His name is Archie, leader of Team Aqua," she continues. "He took me in, gave me food and shelter, told me about their goals and offered me a position. I would be a grunt, but from what I've heard, he took care of everyone. He really cared for his team, for me, and I couldn't resist. I looked up to him. He was quite… admirable."

"You really care for him, don't you?" I ask sincerely.

She glances at me, annoyed by the question, but then she nods. "Yeah… I do," she admits. "It'll never happen, though. He's into some floozy named Shelly. As much as I would like it to happen, it won't. I'm sorry, but not everyone can have boobs like that bimbo."

I smile. "I'm sure you will find someone else," I encourage. "Who knows? That someone might already be here." Yeah, very subtle, dude, I think to myself.

"What do you mean?" Jess grunts. "You? Do you want to date me?!"

"Ah, no, not me!" I panic. "I mean, you're a lovely girl and all, but I…"

"Hahaha!" Jess laughs. "Pipe down, I'm only kidding!" I relax. "No, I know who you mean." She glances back at Darius, who waves at her. "He's cute, but I don't know. He's… from Kalos."

"What's wrong with Kalos?" I ask.

"Eehhhhh…." she shrugs.

"Try talking to him," I suggest. "Get to know him. Believe it or not, you two have a lot more in common than you realize."

Jess looks at me with narrow eyes. "I'll think about it," she says.

I nod. "Fair enough," I say. "Say, how long has it been since you talked with your family?"

Jess looks down. "I… don't call very often," she admits. "I'm a bit ashamed at how my life turned out. I'll only disappoint."

After hearing those words, I make up my mind. I am ninety-nine percent certain and decide to go with it. I tap on my Pokégear, detach the phone from it, and wait for an answer. "Hello?" the voice says.

"Hey, it's me," I say. "I have someone here I think you would like to speak with."

I tap Jess on the shoulder and she looks over. "What?"

"Here," I say, handing my phone.

"Who is it?" she asks.

"My girlfriend," I say.

"Why would I want to talk with her?" she shouts. I push the phone at her and she takes it. "Ugh, what!" Suddenly, her whole demeanor changes. She looks at me with wide eyes. "…Lizzie?"

For the remainder of the trip, Jess speaks with Liz on the phone. I do not exactly listen in, trying to give them privacy, but some things cannot be helped and I notice a variety of emotions coming from her. At one point, she even cries a little, something that really surprised me, with how rough around the edges she is. I try to enjoy the sights, looking down at the ocean, spotting various Pokémon. As we pass Seafoam Islands, I tap Jess on the shoulder, as she had instructed me to after giving her the phone. She says goodbye, hangs up, and returns to the phone to me.

"Thank you," she says softly. "But you must tell me; how did you know?"

"She talks about you sometimes," I answer. "Based on what she's told me, and things I learned about you, I put two-and-two together."

Jess smirks slightly. "You're pretty smart, for a kid," she says. "I approve of you dating my kid sister." Then she scowls at me. "You better take damn good care of her, or you'll answer to me, got it?!"

"Haha, of course!" I laugh.

Cinnabar Island comes into view on the horizon. The cinder cone grows larger as we approach the island. The entire city appears to be in ruin, solidified magma covering much of the land. Jess' eyes grow wide at the sight. "When did this happen?!" she says, bewildered.

I think on it, then suddenly remember. "Oh yeah, I remember hearing about this on the news," I say. "It happened about a year ago. They said the only thing that survived was the Pokémon Center. Can't say that does much good now, with the island in ruin."

Jess curses. "I KNEW he couldn't be trusted!"

"Well, why don't we take a look anyway," I suggest. "Never know."

Jess just shrugs. "Fine," she grunts. She steers Articuno into a dive toward the island. Darius follows suit with Talonflame.

We find a clear piece of land and settle down. Jess and I hop off. Jess pulls Articuno back into its ball and clips it to her belt. I greet Darius as he pulls Talonflame into her ball. Jess looks around and shakes her head. "There's nothing here," she sighs.

"Let's check out the Pokémon Center," I suggest. "Maybe we can find something there."

Jess just shrugs and the three of us head towards the center. Along the way, I pull out Jaws' ball and let him out. He leaps out happily and takes a deep breath. I smile and pat his head. Once we reach the center, we walk up to the doors and they open.

The interior is dark, but still intact. Nothing appears damaged, but there is a nice layer of dust on everything. Each footstep echoes through the building, resounding off the walls. I notice a map on the wall and examine it. As I study the island, I find what must be this "Pokémon Mansion" Jess is looking for. It is a large building in the north-west part of the island. I find the Pokémon Center on the island and memorize the route to the mansion.

"Hey guys," I call out. They walk over and I show them the map. "This looks like the mansion you're looking for. If we follow this path here, we should make it to where it was. We might find something left over, it wouldn't hurt to check."

Jess shakes her head, but still agrees to go. "From above, it looked like this center is all that survived," she says. "I doubt we'll find anything."

Darius agrees with her. "I circled around before following you down," Darius says. "She's right. There's nothing else."

I grimace. "Well, I guess that's it, then. Shall we go?"

As we walk out, Jess grumbles about how someone is getting a pounding the next time she sees him. I look at Jaws, holding his ball. He looks disappointed, but taps the button and goes inside. Jess and Darius pull out their birds and hop on, with me hopping on with Jess. We take off and rise into the air. As we turn to head back to Vermilion, I notice a strange indention in the lava flow. I tap Jess' shoulder and ask her to fly toward it. She grunts, but reluctantly agrees. With Darius behind us, we fly toward the location. When it comes into full view, we discover that it is part of a building peeking through the flow.

"Hey!" I shout. "This is right around where the mansion should be. I think it survived!"

"Well, look at that," Jess says, stunned. "It just got buried. Must be one heck of an architecture that designed it."

"Shall we check it out?" Darius shouts to us.

"Your call, Jess," I say.

Jess looks back at me, and for once, I see a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Let's go."

We swoop down, but do not land. Jess orders Articuno to shoot the surrounding area with ice. With the flow covered in a thin layer of ice, we watch and wait. Once Jess feels satisfied, she commands Articuno to land. Darius follows suit and we all jump off.

"I had to check to make sure it wasn't too hot," Jess explains. "It is an active volcano, after all."

We climb up toward the exposed building and find a broken window. Jess moves toward the window and starts kicking out the broken glass. Once clear, she climbs in and Darius and I follow her through.

The building is dusty and the lights are dim. The building appears to still have power, and I assume it must have its own generator. I remember reading something about using volcanic energy to generate power; this building must be using those. We keep walking through the hallway, stepping over all kinds of debris. Off in the distance, Darius spots a staircase. "Hey, where do you suppose that leads to?" he asks.

Jess looks at the stairs, then walks past Darius. "They lead down," she says curtly.

She heads downstairs and Darius and I follow. The floor below looks utterly destroyed, aside from a table next to a Rhydon statue and another staircase leading down. Rubble blocks us from going anywhere on this floor. We decide to head further down. Just before I reach the next flight of stairs, I notice an odd statue collapsed on the floor. It looks vaguely feline, but the head looks big, its body is tall and slender, and while it is broken, the arms and tail look incredibly long as well. The eyes of the statue glow a faint red, as if it being powered as well. It is a creature I have never seen before, nor does it look anything like what I know. Perhaps it is a statue of an extinct Pokémon?

Darius calls up to me from the bottom of the stairs. "Hey dude, are you coming?" he shouts. "This floor looks clear!"

I take one more look at the odd statue, then head down the flight of stairs. As Darius said, the floor is clear, with spots of rubble here and there, but compared to the rest of the place, looks good. Jess is already exploring, scanning over bookshelves for anything to find. Darius walks around cautiously, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. He looks visibly nervous.

"Hey, are you all right?" I ask.

Darius wipes his forehead and nods. "I'll be fine," he says. "Just a little claustrophobic."

I pat him on the shoulder. "We'll be out of here soon," I assure. He nods and we keep walking.

We round a corner and come across a giant metal door. It appears to be a side-sliding door and was probably meant to be disguised as another wall, but time has worn away the illusion, revealing its true nature. There are no visible switches around the door, suggesting it is opened elsewhere. But where?

Jess walks up to us, flipping through a book. "Ugh, there's not much here," she groans. "Mostly Pokémon encyclopedias and fanatic articles. Although, this particular one is interesting."

Darius and I peer over her shoulders as she flips through the pages. "This section talks about various extinct Pokémon," she explains. When Darius and I glance at each other, she glares back at us. "What? I can't be interested in dinosaurs?" She flips another page and a small photograph falls out. "Huh?" She picks it up and we all look at it.

It is a photograph of a stone tablet with a carving. The carving depicts a small feline-like creature. The carving is crude and very old, partially covered in moss. The creature depicted in the carving looks vaguely familiar, and then I remember the statue I saw upstairs. This creature kind of looks like that statue, albeit a much smaller version. The big head, small body, long tail, it looks similar, but the statue looks like a warped version of this smaller creature.

"I wonder what it is?" Jess asks.

"It's kind of cute," Darius chimes in. I glance back at him. He is sweating more, but doing quite well at maintaining his composure.

Jess rolls her eyes. "Kalos boy," she mumbles. Darius furrows his brow at the remark. I just snicker.

I step away and look back at the door. "I wonder what it behind here?"

Darius walks up and touches it. He runs his fingertips across the door to the seam in the middle. The door is cracked just wide enough to fit his fingers through. Darius grips it with both hands and pulls. It budges, but barely. I step up and take the other side. The two of us try with all our might to pull the door apart. The door creaks and grinds, but refuses to budge more than an inch apart. Darius and I let go and the door slams shut. Darius wipes his forehead.

"Yep, that's not budging," he says, breathing heavily. My breathing gets a little heavy as well, and I realize the air in here is quite stale. With the only opening being the window we came through, I can see us not lasting much longer down here.

"I'll try Brawny," I say. "He can definitely pry that apart."

"Be careful," Jess warns. "We don't need this place collapsing on us." Darius flinches.

I nod and pull out his Great Ball. I toss it and Brawny pops out. "Machamp!" he shouts, flexing. The walls vibrate from his bellow and I quickly hush him. Darius fidgets nervously.

"Hey buddy," I say quietly, to emphasis his need to keep it down. "Do you think you can open this door?" He flexes and nods. I hold my finger up to my lips to remind him to keep quiet. "All right, buddy, please try. But be careful. We're buried under lots of debris and lava rock. We don't need this place crashing down on top of us." Brawny nods with understanding. Darius cringes.

Brawny turns to the door, jams all his fingers into the door crack, and starts pulling the door apart. His muscles bulge and he grunts against the strain. The door grinds loudly and slowly inches apart. At last, we hear a loud crack and the door slams open. The walls shake violently and a large crack snakes along the ceiling. Small bits of debris fall, but the ceiling holds and the walls stop shaking. Brawny turns to me and grins his big stupid grin. I facepalm.

"Well, it's open," Jess shrugs.

I pull Brawny back into his ball so he does not cause any more damage. Jess and I walk through the door and look around. To the right, we see a staircase leading down. Time to delve deeper.

"Yeah, you know, you guys go ahead," Darius stammers, sweating profusely. "I'll wait for you outside."

Jess reaches through the door, grabs him by the collar, and pulls him in. "Come on, Kalos boy," she grunts.

We head down the stairs slowly. The staircase itself is dark and longer than the others we walked down. After a several minutes of walking down, we finally come to the end of the stairs. Before us lies what appears to be a laboratory, filled with computers, towering machines, and even shattered vats with tubes hanging down. Jess' eyes go wide at the sight.

"What IS this place?" she gasps.

I have an idea, but do not say anything. I do not want what I am thinking to be true, but a sinking pit of despair suggests I may be right. These vats are a sure giveaway on what went on down here. We walk through the lab, looking at all the broken equipment scattered around. The lab is dark, but a few lights still work, barely illuminating our way. Behind me, Darius appears to be feeling better, seemingly have forgotten about his claustrophobia in light of our discovery.

I find an old book on a table. It looks tattered, but many of its pages are still intact. I flip through it and find it to be a journal. Entries are logged and dated, detailing the experiments that went on down here. One particular entry sticks out to me and I read it.

"July 5th: Our team discovered a new Pokémon deep in the jungle. Based on the carvings in the stone tablets, it may have been an object of worship. We capture the creature and bring it back with us.

"July 10th: We christened the newly discovered Pokémon 'Mew'. Research on Mew is conducted immediately.

"February 6th: Research on Mew reveals great potential within its DNA! When run within the DNA identifier, the system comes back with every known species. It would appear this Pokémon contains the DNA of ALL Pokémon.

"Good news! Mew gave birth! We named the newborn Pokémon 'Mewtwo'. Funding from our benefactor increases, along with a request. We gladly accept.

"September 1st: Mewtwo has become too powerful. Attempts at curbing its vicious tendencies have failed. We may lose control soon…"

I close the book. Mew… Mewtwo… what were these creatures? Why has nobody heard about them? What exactly did they DO here?

"Hey guys," Darius calls out. I look up from the book to see him standing in front of a terminal. "I think this one still works."

Jess and I walk over. The screen is cracked, but the power button on the tower is lit. A blinking red light on the panel sticks out to me. The urge is too strong and I push the button. The cracked screen flickers and distorted images pop up. I cannot make out the images, but sound comes from the speakers. The sound of explosions and people screaming are in the background while the voice of an older male speaks.

"I haven't got much time!" the voice says. "I pray this record of our experiment survives! A year ago, we discovered a new Pokémon in the jungle; Mew. Mew's DNA proved to be powerful, but Giovanni, who funded the project, insisted we try to replicate Mew and design a genetically enhanced version, more powerful than any Pokémon. Many attempts failed, but finally, our experiments proved successful, and Mew gave birth to a living Pokémon! We called it Mewtwo. But for some reason, the creature's anger is out of control. With its psychic powers, it is destroying our laboratory! We dreamed of creating the world's strongest Pokémon… and we succeeded." The recording cuts out and then static.

The three of us stand there, silent, as we process what we just heard. I do not know what the others are thinking, but for me, I cannot help but feel anger and rage well inside me. The atrocities just outlined in that recording and this journal is just too much! How anyone can commit such a crime against nature is beyond me. The horrors of that recording grates at my heart. To think that a poor creature was captured, raped, and tortured is so cruel, no wonder its child went berserk. My heart literally breaks for this unknown creature.

Darius looks at me and places a hand on my shoulder. "Dude, are you okay?" he asks.

I stare at the floor. "How can people be so cruel?" I ask.

Jess stares at the floor, deep in thought. "And here I thought the crimes Team Aqua committed were bad…"

Darius notices the book in my hand. "Do you mind?" he asks. I shake my head and hand it to him. He flips through it, reading the pages.

Jess looks up at the terminal. "That name…" she says to herself. She presses the button again and the messages plays again. I frown, not wanting to hear it a second time, but she seems to have found something. As the message plays, I can hear every single person's tormented scream, the terror in the narrator's voice, and the rage of this mysterious creature. Whatever this creature is, it was angry, and I cannot help but feel it was for good reason. This place is a nightmare.

"I want out of here," I say.

Jess holds up her finger, still listening. After another minute, she shouts. "Giovanni!"

Darius jumps, dropping the book. "Who?! What?!"

Jess grumbles. "Giovanni," she says again. "He was the leader of Team Rocket before they disbanded. It appears his crimes are greater than we initially thought."

"What happened to him?" Darius asks.

"He went into hiding after Team Rocket was disbanded," Jess explains. "Now, it would appear someone wants to dig him up. But who?"

Jess fumbles around in her hip bag and procures a small disc. She inserts it into the machine, hits a couple keys, then ejects the disc and drops it into her bag. Then she turns to Darius. "Hand me that book," she says. Darius picks up the book and hands it to her. She tucks it into her bag, then closes it. "I think we got all we're going to get here. Let's go."

We trudge our way up the many flights of stairs to get back to the window we crawled through. The entire time, my mind lingers on what we discovered here. Not only is Silph, Co. altering Pokémon to forcibly evolve them further, but it all stems from the research that went on down here. Are Team Rocket and Silph, Co. connected in some way? Have we been supporting the real villain this entire time? Was Sinnoh justified in its assault on Kanto, and was Johto wrong for defending them? So many questions, all of them ultimately collecting into one major question: just what did my father die for?

As we fly back to Vermilion City, I flip through the journal we found in the mansion. It details many different experiments, such as experiments with evolution stones, but the one that I remain fixated on is Mew and Mewtwo. The journal goes into details about the expedition in the jungle, where they found Mew. The journal is filled with sketches, a few photographs glued to the pages, and lots of written entries and notes. I start reading through them.

"June 17th: We arrived on an island that was recently discovered. The island has been named Faraway Island, due to its remote location far south of Kanto. The island is hot and muggy, and thus far, uninhabited. We planned to begin exploring after we set up camp. I pray we find something significant out here, otherwise our funding could be cut.

"June 19th: Our first official day of exploration! We covered Sector 1 of the island, but nothing significant was found. We did find some unknown berries. Toxicity testing revealed them to be safe to eat. They were sweet, delicious, and plentiful. Our food rations have effectively been extended by many weeks. We now have plenty of time to explore the island.

"June 23th: Sector 2 revealed signs of an ancient civilization! We found a large ravine with a bridge that was definitely man-made, albeit primitive. We attempted to cross it, but the bridge broke and we lost Joseph. We will write to his family and send our condolences, but his death will not be in vain. We will repair the bridge and cross it to see where it leads. After many days of exploring, we finally found signs of life, and I am now hopeful we will find something huge.

"June 26th: The bridge took a while to repair, but we were able to cross it. There wasn't much, but we did find more unusual berries, different from the ones earlier. Toxicity testing came negative, but these did not taste good. They were very dry and sour. Hee-Jun seemed to enjoy them, but the rest of the team disliked them. I hope we find more than new fruit on this expedition.

"June 27th: Hee-Jun came back with the most remarkable find! He stated he found evidence of something eating the new berries! When he went back to get some more, he found several eaten rinds on the ground. None of the other team members like those berries, so either Hee-Jun is playing an elaborate (and very unfunny) joke, or he has found evidence of life on this island! We searched the surrounding area, but found nothing else. Many of the team members seem to believe Hee-Jun is pulling a prank, but I… I remain hopeful.

"June 30th: The ruins of an ancient civilization were discovered near a river! The ruins appear very old and in poor condition, but within it, we found carvings! One particular carving depicted of a strange creature, unlike anything we have seen. The way it is centered in the mural, it leads me to believe this was a highly revered creature, perhaps even an object of worship. It may even be a deity of some sort and not a real creature. I am very excited about the prospects of this significant discovery. Further investigations will continue!

"July 4th: Research on the ruins continue to no avail. Several of the team members are weary and getting spooked. Whispered rumors of strange sightings, odd sounds, and shadows among shadows circulate through the chow tent. Hee-Jun has gone missing as well. Nobody has seen him for two days. Searches for him revealed nothing. Tall tales spread among the team members. Asuka said she saw him head back to the ravine and jumped. Samuel said he was eaten by a dinosaur. Flynn claimed he vanished right before his eyes. My team clearly needs rest. Perhaps tomorrow we will halt all work and let them take a day of rest.

"July 5th: Asuka came back to camp with fantastic news! She said she spotted Hee-Jun last night creeping past the camp. She had followed him and watched where he went and what he did. She stated he had filled his satchel with berries, then disappeared behind a waterfall. I gathered the team and we went to this waterfall. What we discovered was beyond words! Within a cave behind the waterfall was not one, but TWO new living Pokémon! Hee-Jun appeared to have been spending his time missing here with them. He implored us to let them be, that they were timeless creatures and they have shown him many things. We tried to capture them, but Hee-Jun fought to stop us. Unfortunately, Hee-Jun was killed in the struggle. The child Pokémon managed to escape capture, but we did get the mother using a prototype Pokéball from Silph, Co. I will have to let them know it worked beautifully. During capture, the creature exhibited remarkable powers! When the net was thrown at it, it actually teleported out of it. It also used psychic abilities to ward us off. Eventually, Robert managed to hit it with a tranquilizer dart, causing the creature to stop fighting and allow capture within the prototype Pokéball. With this remarkable creature, we should be able to secure enough funding to complete our research.

"July 7th: We departed from the island to return to our lab on Cinnabar. With our prize in hand, we reveal our discovery to our benefactor, Giovanni. He is greatly impressed and immediately grants us our funding. He stated he wants a full scale investigation into the potential of this new Pokémon. He will have his wish.

"July 10th: Based on basic evaluations of the creature, we have christened it 'Mew'. It appears to be of the Psychic type and is quite healthy. Due to its immense psychic ability expressed back on Faraway Island, we must keep it in a heavily sedated state. Mew remains in conscious, however, due to the need to measure its psychic capabilities. Initial readings are already phenomenal! It shows Mew is capable of living for very long periods of time. Dating is incomplete, but we hope to have a conclusion on the age of this particular specimen.

"July 12th: Age analysis is finally complete, but our systems cannot be right. It is showing the creature to be five billion years old. I feel we may have made a miscalculation. I cannot believe this creature predates the formation of the planet! We will recalibrate the system, then start again. In the meantime, DNA extraction will begin and a complete analysis of the strand will be conducted. Analysis will take many days, but once it is complete, we should have a working knowledge on the biology of this remarkable Pokémon.

"July 31st: DNA sequencing is complete, and what we have discovered is beyond comprehension. The genome is unlike anything we have seen, yet when it is run through a DNA identifier, the results come back as ALL known species! At first, we thought it was a mistake, but several more attempts in many different systems produced the same results. I feel this is not a mistake. We may, in fact, have on our hands the first Pokémon to have ever existed. If this is true, then the Sinnoh legend of Arceus would be proven false. We must keep this to ourselves. We cannot risk another war. Our benefactor has shown extreme interest in these results. He demands we produce more of these Pokémon. I informed him that without a male specimen, impregnation would be impossible. He recommended cloning, but our cloning technology has not been perfected yet. If it had been… well, I certainly would not be in this lab right now.

"October 18th: It's been many weeks since we began the reproduction process. Several attempts at cloning have failed, resulting in strange sentient blobs capable of nothing. We have stored the blobs in a separate facility nearby for further research. The blobs seem to contain the same DNA as Mew, but in an unstable state. The blobs can shape themselves into Mew's form, but cannot hold it for very long and end up returning to their non-Newtonian fluid form. We set aside a small team of researchers to conduct experiments on these new creatures. Meanwhile, insemination attempts have proven unsuccessful. We have attempted to artificially create Mew semen to inject into Mew, but so far, nothing has worked. Mew's physical health remains good thus far. Feeding tubes are cleaned regularly and the sedative is the best we have. Mew's mental health fluctuates, though, and we are working on stabilizing her.

"January 29th: Insemination attempts are partially successful. Mew has successfully given birth multiple times, but the results are the same as the cloning; non-Newtonian fluid blobs. This batch of blobs, however, seem much better capable at holding their shape and even others! When in the presence of other Pokémon, these creatures are capable of copying the other Pokémon's form perfectly, and even imitate their abilities! We have dubbed the blobs 'Ditto'. Unfortunately, Giovanni shows no interest in Ditto and threatens to pull our funding if we do not provide him with a live specimen. My team is working diligently night and day and they are exhausted, but if we do not provide, we will lose our funding.

"May 3rd: After many months of vigorous research, we have successfully impregnated Mew! Testing shows the child to be an exact match to the mother and not another Ditto. Thank God too, we have enough of those things hanging around. Robert seems to enjoy them, but they creep me out. We sent news to Giovanni, who was positively pleased. He responded with more money and a request; that we genetically enhance the child to be more powerful than any other Pokémon. With the sizeable sum he sent us, I had to agree. We began by isolating certain genes within its DNA and exposing them to radiation produced by various evolution stones. Some had no effect; others had drastic results. The child has shown many beneficial mutations; it is bigger, with a larger brain for intelligence, with longer limbs. I pray this creature survives the process. The success of my career and my ultimate goal depend on it.

"December 24th: My world shattered today. My little girl, Amber, passed on at 8:14 this morning. The cancer had spread to her heart and took her delicate life from me. My heart has crumbled to dust. My only solace is the child growing inside Mew. Since I have failed to cure Amber's cancer, I will use what we have learned here with hopes of bringing my little girl back to me. Within Mew's DNA is life, and with it, I will revive my Amber. I am still far from unlocking Mew's secrets, but I feel I am on the right path. It is only a matter of time.

"February 6th: Mew gave birth! We named the child Mewtwo. It is much bigger than Mew, and unfortunately, Mew did not survive. We gave Mew a proper burial. Mewtwo, however, survived, and further testing must be done. It still has some growing to do. It looks at us curiously and exhibits the same psychic ability as Mew, but at a much more powerful rate. It appears highly intelligent already and has shown great potential. Giovanni is highly pleased and has sent us more money. We have a lot of testing left, but our future looks bright. So does Amber's…

"May 1st: Mewtwo's growth has been exceptional! It wields great power, but also exhibits immense anger. We keep is sedated much of the time to mellow it out, but sometimes, the sedative does not work. It has injured Robert and several other researchers. Sedative doses have increased, but I fear Mewtwo will one day grow too powerful for the sedative. When that day comes, we will need to find another way to subdue its rage.

"September 1st: Amber is forever lost. Mewtwo's anger has grown too great for us to control. It has destroyed what little I had left of her preserved. Attempts at curbing its vicious tendencies are failing. I fear we may lose control soon. All hope is lost…

The journal entries end there. I close the book and place it back into Jess' satchel. The rest of the flight is silent as I think upon what I just read. The heartache expressed in that journal is too much for me to bear, but I cannot let it go. It has shown me that everyone, even the ones that do wrong, are also looking for their place in this post-war world. This man, whoever he is, was just looking for a way to save his daughter's life, and found himself in some unethical work in the process. The journal does not express whether he felt what he was doing was right or wrong, but I did sense that he was willing to go to such lengths for the sake of his daughter. My father went to great lengths to keep me and Mother safe as well. How many other people have done the same?

We arrive back at Vermilion City before dusk. As the sun sinks toward the ocean, I have made up my mind. I hop off Articuno and start walking toward the north gate.

"Hey," Darius calls out. "Where are you going? The hotel is back that way."

"There's something I need to do," I say.

"What, tonight?" Darius says. "Can it wait until the morning?"

I shake my head. "No," I say. "I don't think I'll ever sleep until I figure this out."

Jess waves her hand at me. "Let him go," she says. "He's obviously made up his mind."

"How can I help?" Darius asks. "What do you need to do?"

I sigh. "I need to find out exactly what this country's been doing," I say. "The horrible experiment described in that journal, that recording, is enough to give me nightmares. I need to know what my father defended, what he fought for, what he died for. I need to know why."

Darius looks solemn. "I think I understand," he says, "but how do you expect to do that?"

I take a deep breath and look Darius in his jade eyes. "I am breaking into Silph, Co."


	10. Chapter 10: Dangerous Territory

I walk toward the north gate of Vermilion City, ignoring the incredulous looks of my friends. Instinctively, I pull out Jaws' Luxury Ball and release him. He leaps into the air, happy to be free, and smiles at me, waving. I keep walking, my mind set on what I plan to do.

"Dude, you can't be serious!" Darius exclaims.

Jess just crosses her arms and smirks. "So, the kid has some guts after all," she says. "Though, I'm with Darius on this one. There's no way you'll get in."

I just wave my hand. "I'll find a way," I say.

Darius runs up to me and touches my shoulder. I stop and face him. "Look, bud," he says. "You'll be trying to break into one of the most secure buildings in Kanto. My father's security team is not one to take so lightly. Trust me on this."

"Like I said, I'll figure it out," I argue. "I need to know what went on here all those years ago. Why was there a war? What other experiments did they conduct? What other Pokémon did they torture for their own gain? What did my father die for?"

Darius looks me in the eye. I look back and I can tell he is clearly worried about me. I hold my ground, though. I am determined to do this, with or without him. Then, he does the most unexpected thing. He pulls me in and hugs me. I freeze, unable to process what is happening. Finally, after several seconds, he lets me go.

"Uh…" I stammer.

"What? I'm from Kalos, get used to it," he says. "If you're that determined, then fine. I'm coming with you."

"You really don't have to," I say.

"Look, if you're going up against the largest technological giant in the world, protected by the world's best security team, who better to accompany you than the guy who was raised to take over that security team?" Darius grins. "Perhaps it's time I put all that knowledge to good use."

I smile. "Thanks," I say.

Jess just shrugs. "Well, in that case, I'm coming too," she says. "You two will need someone to protect you."

"Then let's go!" he says. Then he mutters to himself, "Diantha's going to kill me…"

Jess and Darius pull their birds. Darius hops on Talonflame and I hop on Articuno with Jess. I look down at Jaws, who looks sad when he sees me pull out his ball. I frown and look at Darius. "Hey, bud, think she can carry Jaws too?" I ask.

"Uh… how much does he weight?" he asks.

"Um… around twenty-five pounds, I think," I say.

"I think she can then," Darius say.

I motion for Jaws to go with Darius. Jaws smiles big and climbs up on Talonflame. He struggles for a moment, but with a push from Talonflame's wing, he gets on. He grabs Darius' pants tightly.

"All right, now hold on," Darius says.

We take off, soaring through the sky. As the sun sinks below the horizon and the stars come out, I look below. I can see Michael and Joshua's small home. Michael is working hard in his garden, while Joshua plays with their Meowth. We fly over the rest of the route, and make it to Saffron in a fraction of the time it took Darius and I to get to Vermilion. I look over at Jaws, who looks positively thrilled to be flying. The look of pure joy on his face makes me smile.

The city lights brighten the night sky, concealing the stars, with Silph, Co. shining brightly in the middle of the city. We pass over the Lucky Egg Casino and Resort, and I look over at Darius. He looks back and I mouth the name "Jenni". His eyes go wide and he shakes his head, mouthing "Hell no!" I laugh. Jess looks back at me. "What are you laughing at?" she asks.

"Ah, nothing," I lie.

"We're approaching Silph, Co," she says.

"It would be best to land on the roof!" Darius calls out.

Jess nods and steers Articuno toward the roof. She brings the bird to a halt and Articuno gently lands. Darius follows suit, guiding Talonflame down with expertise. Jaws hops off and runs to me, excitedly. He hugs me and I pick him up, returning the hug. The little guy looks like he really enjoyed the flight!

"All right," Jess says, pulling in Articuno. "So, Kalos Boy, how do you propose we get in?"

"The doors will be tightly secured with electromagnetic locks," he explains. "During the day, there are armed guards up here guarding the doors, when they are expecting helicopter landings. At night, however, when their employees have all gone home, the doors are secured with electromagnetic locks and frequent patrols will be conducted. Nighttime is always best, because of minimal staffing. That's why most crimes are committed at night; the cover of darkness plus minimal resistance. However, alarms take the place of guards at night, so we must be careful."

"How do you know all this?" Jess asks.

"Silph, Co. is Skyheart Security Forces' biggest client," Darius explains. "It was vital for me to learn their security requirements if I were to take over one day."

Jess smirks. "Hmm, I'm impressed."

"So we need to get past the electromagnetic locks," I say. "Without setting off the alarms?" Darius nods. "And how do we do that?"

"We might be able to trick the badge reader into thinking it has received the right signature with Pachirisu," Darius says. "Otherwise, Brawny could exert enough force to break the magnetic seal. That way could prevent the alarms from going off, if done carefully."

"Yeah, Brawny's great, but he's not exactly the subtlest of Pokémon," I grumble.

"I can attempt to use Pachirisu, then," Darius says.

"Let's just hurry up," Jess says impatiently.

The four of us slink along the wall. As we creep around to the front, Darius stops us for a moment. He looks around, pauses for a moment, then motions us to continue. He ducks into the shadows of the steps leading up to the elevator maintenance room and we follow. He waits for a few more moments, then pulls out Pachirisu's ball. The little Pokémon squeaks with joy and Darius hushes him. He looks around again, waits for a few seconds, then whispers "Wait here," before dashing toward the roof access door. He whispers to Pachirisu, who presses his cheek to the badge reader. He does this for several seconds, then a gentle spark ignites and the door clicks. Darius pulls it open, looks up, then motions us to dash in. We quickly run through the door, and then Darius follows, closing the door behind him.

"Whew!" Darius exhales.

"That was... fun?" I say.

"Avoiding the cameras," Darius explains. "Don't want to be spotted before getting in, right?"

Jess grins. "It's been a while since I've done this," she says. "Good times."

We walk down the steps leading to the eleventh floor. As we turn the corner, Darius stops us and peeks around the corner. We hear the sound of boots clicking down the hallway. "Crap!" Darius whispers. "Bad timing! Back into the stairwell, quick!"

We shuffle back into the stairwell and duck under the darkness of the stairs. The guard stops for a moment in the doorway, looking right at us, then yawns and continues walking. He climbs the stairs, checks the door, the walks back down. He presses a key on his radio. "Nothing here," he says. "All clear."

"Must be a glitch in the system," the radio says. "Return to your patrol."

"Roger," the guard says. He walks back down the steps, walks through the doorway, and disappears down the hall, boots clicking on the floor.

"Whew," Darius exhales. He glares back at me. "Do you really want to keep doing this?!"

I nod. "Look, you guys can leave if you want," I say. "You don't need to risk yourselves for my selfish reasons."

"Are you kidding?!" Jess says, excited. "I'm having a blast!"

Darius grits his teeth, but nods. "I'm staying too," he says. "I won't leave you hanging."

We walk out into the hallway and look around. At the end of the hallway to our left is giant double-doors, with the hallway splitting off in both directions. The double doors look like they belong to the Silph, Co's president. I glance around really quick and realize there are no cameras inside the hallway. I look at Darius.

"No cameras in here?" I ask.

Darius shakes his head. "The president didn't want any installed inside the building," he explains. "The president is really paranoid about having company secrets stolen. Not even the guards know what goes on in here."

Jess frowns. "Well, no cameras in here will make this a cakewalk."

"Don't worry, Jess," Darius assures. "There are plenty of highly advanced security systems in place. For example, the president's suite right there. We will not be getting in there at all. It requires a special keycard that only the president has, and the card will only work if the president's thumbprint is registered on the card itself."

"Hmm…" Jess appears to be pondering how she would get in there. I think she is enjoying this way too much.

"We can, however, get into the labs," Darius says. "Let's go."

We walk down the hallway and make a right turn. The stairwell is dim, light by only a single light per floor, right above each door. I think hard on our visit before, trying to remember which floor the genetic work was conducted on. At last, I remember and nudge Darius. "Hey, genetics is on the eighth floor," I say. He nods.

We walk down three flights to the eighth floor. Darius cracks the door open, looks through, and when he is satisfied, pushes it open. We walk through and look around. Several doors lead to offices, with a large set of doors lead to the actual lab. I peer through the window and immediately recognize it as the lab we visited before. The doors are firmly locked, each with a badge reader mounted on the walls. Darius quickly runs up to the doors leading to the lab and sets Pachirisu to work. After about a minute, Pachirisu shakes his head. Darius frowns.

"I was afraid this would happen," he says. "Pachirisu can't imitate the frequency. These are our newest models. The frequency of these readers are too finely tuned. Only a keycard will get us in."

"Then we will get a keycard," I say. "Surely, there is a master key used for emergencies, correct?"

Darius nods. "The guards should have one in their office," he says. "While all data can be transmitted to an off-site location at the push of a button, the physical materials need to be collected, if possible."

"Then we will get that card," I say. "Where is their main office?"

"My guess would be the first floor," he says.

Jess groans. "Of course it is."

We head back to the stairwell and head down to the first floor. We hear the footsteps of a guard and stay put until they pass by, then continue down. Once we reach the first floor, Darius peeks out the door. A guard sits at a desk inside a small room in the corner of the lobby. A large glass window allows the guard to see out of his room into the lobby.

"So how are we getting in there?" I ask.

Darius shakes his head. "That will be tricky," he says. "If they follow protocol, the guards should switch out every hour, so someone is always in there and someone is always patrolling. That room will never be unoccupied."

"Which means we'll need a diversion," Jess says. "I got this."

"No!" Darius stops her. "If one of us creates a diversion, they'll suspect there are others." Darius shakes his head. "No, I have a better idea. Come on!"

We follow him down the hall to the bathroom. Darius heads to the back of the bathroom to an air vent. He analyzes it, then nods. "I think this will work," he says. "Pachirisu should fit."

"Ah, I see what you're planning," Jess says. "I'd help out, but all my Pokémon are quite large."

"Jaws looks a little too big for that," I say. "Oh, but I think Exeggcute will fit!"

"Ah, wait, certainly you have…" Darius stammers, but I already release Exeggcute. The little egg things hop up and down, being quite loud. I hush them quickly.

"So they can create a diversion, while Pachirisu snags the key," I say. "That's the plan, yes?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," Darius says. Then he mutters "but why them…"

I ignore him. Jess is already working to remove the vent cover with a multi-tool. I stand by the bathroom door and keep a lookout, trying to keep Exeggcute from creating too much ruckus. Darius explains to Pachirisu the plan, that he will have to zap the keybox, then grab a keycard with a large S on it. Once Jess removes the cover, Darius lifts Pachirisu and he jumps into the air vent. He scurries off and disappears into the darkness.

Darius looks at me and nods. I nod back, then kneel to Exeggcute. "Go out to the lobby, jump in front of the large window, and make a lot of noise, okay?" I say. Exeggcute jumps up and down. "Okay, now… go!"

I push the bathroom door open and let Exeggcute loose. They bounce around the hallway, jumping and yelling and making noise. They shout, they laugh, they roll around, and when they make it to the lobby, they knock over a potted plant. They surround the plant and start discussing the mess in Exeggcutese, or something. As I sit there, groaning about what I just unleashed on this place, the guard has obviously noticed. He opens the door and peeks out. He notices Exeggcute, steps out the door, and shuts it, locking it behind him. He steps up to Exeggcute and looks down.

"Well well," he says. "How did you get in here?"

All six eggs turn and look at the guard. "Exeggcute?" one egg seemingly asks.

"Cute!" another chimes in.

"Well, we can't have you guys roaming the building, making messes," the guard says. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

The eggs look at each other, and as soon as the guard turns his back, one leaps into the air and knocks him down. The guard falls and hits the floor. I gasp, because assault was not what I had in mind for a distraction. The eggs start laughing and bumping each other (are they doing chest bumps?), while the guard scrambles to his feet. The guard looks annoyed and grumbles.

"All right," he says. "Let's go. Out!"

The middle egg sticks its tongue out, while the others laugh. They then all roll in different directions around the lobby. The guard gets angry, reaches for his radio, but before he can call for backup, one of the eggs leap up and snatches it out of his hand. It bounces along the floor, radio in its teeth.

"Hey!" the guard yells. He chases after the one with his radio, but the others roll into the back of his legs, tripping him. They then each bounce onto his back, then hop off, with the last one stopping long enough to rub what could be its butt on the guard's head. They then hop off into the hallway and up the stairs. The guard chases after them, disappearing upstairs.

I laugh, and look back at Darius. He just shakes his head at me, but Jess looks amused. At last, Pachirisu leaps out of the air vent, keycard in hand. Darius catches him and takes the card. He pets Pachirisu a few times, then pulls him back into his ball. "All right, let's go!"

Darius peeks out the bathroom door, then pushes it open. He points in the opposite direction as the guard and Exeggcute went. "We should take the other staircase," he says. We nod and follow him to the stairs. He pushes the door open, listens for a moment, then walks through, with Jess, Jaws, and myself right behind him. We climb the stairs cautiously, listening for the ruckus Exeggcute was making, and also for the other guard. On the fifth floor, we hear the sound of Exeggcute bouncing through the hallway towards the stairwell. We duck into the shadows and watch as Exeggcute bursts through the door, bouncing up the steps, tossing the radio to each other. The guard quickly follows and bounces up the steps after them.

"Damn you little…" the guard growls. "Gimme back my radio!"

We slip through the door behind him before it closes. I hear the pounding footsteps of a very disgruntled guard fade upwards into the building. I realize we are only on the fifth floor, which looks like they develop tools and battle aids for trainers and their Pokémon. We cross the hall to the opposite flight of stairs, check for signs of either guard, then continue up. Once we get to the eighth floor, Darius peeks through the door. He motions us through. He guides us towards the lab door. As we turn a corner, he suddenly stops us.

"What the…?" he whispers.

I peek around the corner. Lay on the floor, near the lab doors, was one of the security guards. He remained still, laying on the floor, not moving. We look around, seeing and hearing nothing, so we creep closer. As we get closer to the guard, we begin to hear an odd sound… snoring? It sounds like the guard is sleeping! I have heard of guards sleeping on duty before, but this is an odd place.

"Wow, your Exeggcute must have used Hypnosis on this guy," Darius says.

"Well, where is he?" I ask. "And the other guard?"

"I don't know," Darius says. "So we'll need to be careful."

"EXEGGCUTE!" shouts a loud obnoxious voice. We jump as Exeggcute leaps out of an air duct, raining eggs on us poor unsuspecting folks. One lands in Darius' lap, spits the guard's radio out, and laughs.

"Ew! Get off me!" Darius says, pushing the egg away. It spits its tongue at him and joins the rest that had piled onto me and Jess.

"Well, that was weird, but good job, guys," I say. "Let's get into this lab."

"Go ahead," Jess says. "I'll take care of this guard."

"Exeggcute, keep watch for the other guard," I say. "Jaws, watch this guard and let us know if he looks like he's going to wake up." Jaws nods with acknowledgement, but Exeggcute seems to ignore me, seemingly talking among themselves. I look at Jaws, and he nods again, understanding my silence order to keep them in line. They have to be the ones to react to the other guard in order to maintain the illusion that it is just a single Pokémon loose in the building.

Darius swipes the keycard across the badge reader and the doors spring open. We slip through, while Jess pulls the guard inside. Darius drops the radio on the guard's chest and we look around. Inside is just how I remember it, though we are on the more technical side. While the front is geared more towards tourists, this back side has all the research and development equipment. Not knowing where to begin, I decide the bookshelves would be a good place. Jess goes toward the vials of unknown substances, and Darius heads towards the shelves with strange-looking devices. I shift through the various titles, looking for anything remotely interesting. At last, I find one titled "Evolution Research" and pull it off the shelf. I flip through the pages and see all sorts of pictures of what look like evolutions of known species, once thought to be unable to evolve further. One looks like an evolution of Electabuzz. They call it "Electivire", yellow and black like Electabuzz, but bigger, wider, and with what looks like two tails. The data entry reads "Using the energy collected from Mt. Coronet, we have managed to successfully replicate this energy, known as Origin Waves, and administered it to many different species. Many species resisted the energy with no effect, while some simply passed. Our first real success was an Electabuzz. It seemed to thrive on the Origin Waves, absorbing them into its body, and grew into what Sinnoh refers to as Electivire. While this was a success, the subject exhibited many mutations that resulted in a slow death. It would appear that Electabuzz requires a specific wavelength to successfully evolve and survive. With the help of a device created by our lead scientist, Charon, we have managed to identify that wavelength. Now we can mass produce the Electirizer and sell them to trainers."

I flip to the next page. This one showed a picture of a Steelix, a Pokémon I am quite familiar with. The data entry reads "Studies have shown that Onix resists Origin Waves in its natural form, and alternate wavelengths only caused its body to crystallize into a glass-like substance, making it resistant to water, but highly fragile. Only one of these Onix survived testing, and managed to escape. Its whereabouts are unknown. Charon discovered that a special metallic alloy could absorb Origin Waves in its natural form, and when doing so, would coat Onix in a steel-like protective skin. This induced the evolution we were looking for and thus, Steelix was born."

I turn the next page to find a Magneton evolution. They call this "Magnezone" and it looks utterly ridiculous. While Magneton is just three Magnemites whose magnetic fields align perfectly with each other, causing them to join together, this Magnezone looks like Magneton got warped. One Magnemite appears to have taken over the other two, and they look fused together rather than held together by magnetism. I feel slightly nauseous, but continue to read. "Origin Waves, when in its natural form, have special magnetic properties that grows when more waves are condensed. We had no intention of testing Origin Wave evolution on a Magneton, given its man-made origins. However, one day, Johnson brought his Magneton to work with him to work on a Nosepass experiment. When the Nosepass was exposed to the Origin Waves, Magneton was inadvertently exposed as well. Both Nosepass and Magneton underwent evolution, becoming Probopass and Magnezone, respectively." The next page shows a photograph of Probopass, which basically looks like a giant mustachioed head made of rock.

Several more pages detail many different experiments conducted in these labs, finding ways to use these "Origin Waves" to create products that further evolve Kanto-native Pokémon. The book explains that Origin Waves are only found in Sinnoh's Mt. Coronet, which is thought to be the home of their god, Arceus. Thinking back to Lugia and his history lesson, I recall the enemy having several of these evolutions, which means these experiments are not trying to create new evolutions, but replicate those that Sinnoh already had access to. This makes me feel slightly better, but not by much, as the book details some pretty brutal failures. It also does not explain anything about Mew or Mewtwo, that horrible disgusting experiment that went on in the Pokémon Mansion. I can only hope that they gave up on that.

"Whoa, check this out!" Darius says. He holds up a large box that almost looks like a microwave. "It's called a Magmarizer! It's supposed to evolve Magmar! Man, I wish I had a Magmar right now…"

"They did some pretty interesting experiments with evolution stones as well," Jess says. "Look at this. Apparently, Gengar was the result of exposing a Clefable to Dusk Stone radiation. Who knew?"

"There's a scientist mentioned in these books," I say. "'Charon', the lead scientist. I want to find his office. I bet he has more details about these experiments."

Jess walks over with an arm full of evolution stones. "Want any?" she asks.

"No, we're not here to steal stuff," I say, shaking my head. "Just information."

Suddenly, the guard's radio springs to life. "Sierra Eight, Sierra Five!" the voice says. It must be the other guard. "You can't leave the desk like that! What is your current location? Over!"

The noise startles us all, and Jess ends up dropping some stones. I look at her and signal her to put those away. She frowns, but dumps them on a nearby counter. "We need to find this Charon's office quick!" I say. "It's only a matter of time before the other guard comes looking!"

We step out into the hallway. I motion for Jaws and Exeggcute to follow, then start quickly scanning the office nameplates on the doors. Jaws runs up beside me, and finally, near the end of the hallway, I find a door with the name "Charon" on it. Darius swipes the badge, but it fails to respond. He swipes it again, but it still does not respond. "Ugh!" he grunts. "Paranoid ass people!"

"Kind of for good reason," Jess quips. Darius just glares at her.

"Screw this, we don't have time!" I say. I pull out Brawny's ball and release him. "Brawny, smash this door!"

"No, wait!" Darius shouts, jumping in front of Brawny. Brawny stops just in time. "It's still an electromagnetic lock. Try pushing on it as hard as you can, but don't break it. Do you understand, Brawny?"

Brawny looks at Darius with his big stupid grin, then looks at me. I frown, but nod. "Give it a try. You can do it."

"Will you guys just hurry up?" Jess grumbles. "That guard is probably systematically checking every floor for his buddy by now."

Brawny follows Darius' instructions. "Place one hand here, and one here, and push," he explains. "With enough force, you should be able to break the seal."

Brawny places his upper right hand near the top-right of the door, and he lower right hand on the door handle. He pushes hard, and gradually increases his force. As I watch this, I am impressed with the care Brawny is taking. Over the year that I have known him, he has gone from a rough, adamant, aggressive beast to a strong, well-tuned gentle giant. I smile as I recall all the trouble we had with him as just a Machoke in the Goldenrod Department store; breaking stuff, disobeying, getting into fights with the other Machoke. Somehow, he toned it down for me, allowing me to tame and train him. I wonder if he knew all this time that I was his father's trainer's son…

Brawny finally pops the door open. Darius inspects the frame and whistles, impressed at the sight of no damage. He looks at Brawny and smiles. "Good job!"

"Machamp!" Brawny says, flexing.

I pat his back. "Thanks, buddy," I say. "Back into your ball."

Brawny nods and I pull him back into the ball. We quickly scour the room for any materials that may be interesting. Finding nothing but a bunch of encyclopedic books and a handful of dirty magazines, I decide to try his computer. I sit down, and Jaws climbs up my back, peeking over my shoulder. I power the computer on, but it asks for a password, because of course it does. I groan.

"What's up?" Darius asks.

"I need a password," I say, searching through various sticky notes, under the keyboard, and other common locations to hide passwords. Not finding anything, I stare at the monitor. "I could try to brute force it, but that could take too long. If only I had a password cracker…"

Jess reaches into her satchel and pulls out a small disc. "Try this," she says. "Best password cracker money can't buy!"

I take the disc and insert it into the machine. "Thanks!" I say. "Now let's get to work." I run the crack and watch as the input box cycles through characters. "'P'…'a'…'s'… oh my God! His password is 'password'?!" I slam my face into the desk.

The crack finishes inputting the password and I am in. I browse through files, searching for any document extensions, and finally, log into his email. I use the crack to get his email password (which was NOT 'password' this time, but 'Galactic'), and start sifting through his emails. While I am doing this, a notification pops up, stating he has a new email. I look at it and it states it is from someone named Cyrus. I open it and as I read it, my jaw hits the desk. I cannot believe what I am reading. My heart slams against my ribcage as what I just stumbled upon. I came here looking for answers, and instead I find…

"Crap!" Darius spits. "You hear that?"

"Huh?" I look around. "What?"

"That's the elevator!" he says, referring to the dull rumble coming through the wall. "It's getting close! Grab what you need and let's get out of here!"

Jess rips her password cracker disc out of the computer and jams another one it. She taps a few keys, waits a few seconds, then pulls the disc back out. I mash the power button and we bolt out the door, closing it behind us. We start running for the stairwell, when suddenly, I stop. I look around, but do not see anything.

"Hey, where is Exeggcute?" I ask.

"Uh…" Jess stammers. "Didn't you put them back into their ball?"

I shake my head. "I need to find them!"

"Ugh, who cares…" Darius mutters, but I ignore him.

I run back to the lab, the others in tow. I look around inside and find them under a desk, gathered together, chattering in Exeggcutese. I glance over them and they are gathered around a strange green stone. They look around at each other, jabbering away excitedly.

"Hey!" I call to them. They all turn towards me and start yapping loudly. "Let's go!"

One of the eggs spits his tongue at me. I frown, but another egg bumps him, causing that one to roll across the floor. The rest nod and start hopping toward me. The one that got kicked starts hopping toward the rest of them, but then stops, turns toward the stone, and hops over to pick it up with his teeth. Suddenly, the elevator chimes and the doors slowly creak open. We freeze and turn to see the other guard stepping off the elevator. He looks right at us, then his eyes go wide.

"What the f...!"

"EXEGGUTOR!" A giant tree storms through the lab doors and barrels down the hall toward the guard. The guard screams and scrambles back into the elevator. Jess grabs both me and Darius by the collar and we bolt for the stairwell. We dash up the stairs to the roof. Darius peeks through the door, watching the cameras. Just as he is about to step through, the elevator chimes again. The doors open and the guard tumbles out. He scrambles to his feet and runs out to the helipad. The giant tree stomps after him, shouting "EXEGGUTOR!" The guard screams and pulls out his gun, but Exeggutor emits some sort of wave at the guard. The guard drops his weapon, teeters for a few seconds, then hits the ground, asleep.

"Oh. My. God." Darius exasperates.

Exeggutor dances around the guard, teetering from one leg to the other, before finally plopping down into a seated position. I laugh. Darius just glares at me. "What, he did his job," I say. Darius just shakes his head.

"These guys are going to be so out of a job," Darius says.

"Can we go now?" Jess asks, annoyed.

Darius watches the cameras, then motions us to follow. We make our way to the edge of the building, in the darkness, out of sight of the cameras. I whistle at Exeggutor, but he just sits there, staring off into oblivion. I whistle louder and this time, he notices me. I wave him over, but he does not move. I reach into my bag, pull out a handful of Sitrus berries, and this seems to get his attention. He hobbles over to me and when he reaches the darkness and I am certain he is out of sight of the cameras, I pull him into his ball.

"Whew," I say. "Now let's get out of here."

"Agreed," Darius says, releasing his Talonflame. He jumps on, followed by Jaws. Jess releases her Articuno and she and I jump on. We take off and fly back to Vermilion.

I check the time on my Pokégear. It is just past midnight, but that excursion felt like it should be almost dawn right now. I am exhausted and cannot wait until I can sink into those soft silky sheets. I then remember what I had read in that email, and dread overwhelms me. I start to shake and Jess looks over at me.

"Are you all right?" she asks.

"I'll be fine," I say. "Let's just get back to the hotel."

She nods. "If you say so."

We make it back to Vermilion and land near the hotel. Darius and Jess pull their Pokémon back into their balls and we head back to our room. Once inside, I collapse onto the couch, exhaustion taking over. Jaws hops up next to me, and starts digging through my bag for berries. Darius and Jess sit next to each other, opposite from me, and look at me with impatience.

"So," Jess says, "what has you so nervous. What did you find on that computer?"

I wipe my face with my hand in a vain attempt to ward off fatigue. I try to speak, but words escape me. I am so tired, so frightened, and so fatigued, I just cannot explain anything right now. Jess seems to acknowledge this and silently forgives me. She pulls a small laptop out of her satchel, powers it on, and inserts that disc of hers. As she scours over the screen, Darius peeking over her shoulder, her face suddenly turns whiter than usual. Her eyes go wide and suddenly, appears to understand my feelings. Darius looks sick, and leans pack in his seat. Jess reads the email:

"Charon,

The packages have been secured. You are feel to depart from Silph, Co and return to us. With the distraction Team Rocket is providing for us, Team Galactic will be free to move in and wipe the heathens from the face of this world. You have done well and your rewards will be great. With these three, we can start anew and create a new world, and Johto will be Ground Zero! -Cyrus"

Jess stares at the screen, what little color she had drained from her face. Darius just shakes his head. He looks worried and confused. "'Ground Zero'?" he mutters. "Are they planning on bombing Johto?"

"I need to get this to Archie immediately," Jess says. She taps furiously on the screen.

Darius watches her intently. "The hotel's wifi isn't secure," he says. "You don't want anyone intercepting your message."

"Nah, don't worry," she says. "We have already worked that out. I can use the hotel's wifi to connect to our VPN tunnel."

"Ooh, nice!" Darius says, impressed.

I do not say anything. I am more concerned with the safety of my mother, Liz, Craig, Professor Oak, Whitney, Morty, and the thousands of other people and Pokémon that live in Johto. What kind of devastation is this Team Galactic planning? Why Johto? What did we do to these people? I feel a strong urge to call Mother and Liz and warn them, but we do not know much yet; no time, no method, no specific location. We do not even know what these packages are. I feel frustrated at the lack of information.

"All right, here we go," Jess says. "According to our scouts, Team Galactic is a group of terrorists located in Sinnoh. They are led by this Cyrus guy and claim to want to make a better world, but have yet to discover how they plan to do that. What we DO know is they have been searching for three specific Pokémon. These three."

Jess turns the laptop to face me. On the screen, I see three small Pokémon labeled "Lake Trio". One is pink and blue, with a two tails and a red gem on its forehead. The second is yellow and blue, also with two tails and a red gem on its forehead. The third is similar as well, only cyan and blue. All three have smaller red gems embedded in their tails. They are kind of cute.

"We aren't entirely certain what they plan to do with these three Pokémon, as we have yet to get another message from our mole," she explains. "From the sound of this email, though, they may already have them."

I stare at the wall, unable to think of anything to say. Jaws jumps into my lap and pats me on the shoulder. I pet him on the head, but keep staring at the wall. Poor guy is clearly trying to cheer me up, but I am too worried about my mother and Liz to feel cheerful. Finally, Jaws buries his face in my chest with a big hug. I take a deep breath and hug him back. He looks up at me and I force a smile, for him. "Thanks, buddy," I say. "I needed that."

"So what do we do now?" Darius asks.

Jess shrugs. "There's nothing we can do at the moment," she says. "I've sent the message to Archie. I've pulled up all the information we have on Team Galactic. Sinnoh is quite far from here and would take us a few days to get there. We COULD fly there, but it would still take a couple days. Articuno is strong, but even she has her limits."

"So sleep it is!" Darius says, getting up and stretching. "I'm off to bed. Good night!"

Jess shuts her laptop off. "Yeah, you should get some sleep too, Crono," she says. "We'll figure things out in the morning."

I bid them both good night and look at Jaws. He is curled up on my lap, sleeping. I gently pick him up and carry him to our room. I lay him on the couch, grab a blanket, and cover him. I prepare for bed, slipping into some pajamas and brush my teeth, then finally climb into bed. I check the time on my Pokégear. It is almost 1am. I doubt anyone would be up right now, but I try anyway. I dial Mother's number. It rings a few times, but she does not answer. I frown, but figured she would be asleep by now. She does get up pretty early. I dial Liz's number. After a couple rings, she answers.

"Hello?" she says. Her voice is like honey to my ears.

"Hey," I say. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm wonderful, thanks for calling!" she says happily. "I was just getting ready for bed."

"Yeah, me too," I say.

"So what's up?" she asks.

"Um…" I hesitate. I feel like I should tell her, but at the same time, I know that I should not. Not yet. "…nothing, really. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"Hehe, you're so sweet," she says. "So since I have you on the phone, let me ask you something."

"Of course," I say.

"How did you meet my sister?" she asks. "Have you made it to Hoenn yet?"

"Not quite," I say. "I first saw her in Olivine City. I officially met her on the Magnet Train."

"She was on that?" Liz gasps. "Well, she's obviously okay, from the way she sounded on the phone."

"Yeah, she's just fine," I say. "She saved a lot of people on that train. She's quite the hero."

"A hero, huh?" Liz chuckles. "She sure has grown."

"Is she that different from when you grew up together?" I ask.

"Well, she had… anger issues," Liz says. "Ever since our parents died, she got into a lot of fights, got in trouble with the police, things like that. She was quite a handful for our grandparents. But…" Liz trails off for a moment. "…she always looked out for me."

"Well, I think you would be quite proud of her now," I say. "She's doing some amazing things."

"It sounds like it," Liz says happily. "I just hope since she's in the region, she would take the time to see me."

"I'll mention it to her," I promise.

"Thank you," she says. "I'm going to bed. Your mother wants to go for a run in the morning."

I smile. "Sure thing," I say. "Sweet dreams."

"Of you," she says. I can hear the smirk in her voice. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," I say, and we hang up. I put my Pokégear on the nightstand and stare at the ceiling. I find myself hoping we can do something, anything, to prevent whatever Team Galactic has in store for Johto. Slowly, but surely, I drift into slumber.

The next day is long, slow, and uneventful. With only four days left until our ship is ready, I struggle to keep myself occupied. Jess and Darius seem to grow closer. They spend much of the day together, cooking breakfast together again, sitting around the room talking, and even going for a walk together through Diglett Cave. I opt for a more peaceful method of spending my time. I take Jaws out to the dock and we spend a few hours just staring at the ocean. I reminisce the time I used to spend on the Goldenrod Pier and how I first met Jaws there. Those were more peaceful times. I do not regret this adventure, though. It has opened my eyes to the world. I have seen more in the last few weeks than I have in the last few years. This journey has been filled to the brim with adventure, danger, and enlightenment, and I would not give it up for anything.

As I watch the sun dip into the ocean, Jaws moves to the edge of the dock and plays with the Tentacool that have come to the surface. A cool breeze glides across the water surface and washes over me. I close my eyes and let the wind envelope me. At that moment, I hear voices behind me. I turn and look to see Darius and Jess walking towards me. Darius waves and I wave back. The two are walking rather close together, something I never thought I would see Jess do. She always seemed like the kind of girl who demands her space, but here she is, shoulder practically touching Darius'. I cannot make out what they are talking about, but it does sound like they are really enjoying each other's company. I stand up to greet them.

"Hey you two," I say. "Enjoy your walk?"

Darius grins. "I caught a Dugtrio!" he says excitedly. "I'd use it on my team, but I'm actually quite happy with my team right now, so it's sitting in the PC."

Jess chuckles. "You should have seen how childishly excited he was."

"Hey," Darius responds, but then shrugs. "Yeah, okay, I kind of was."

I smile. I am happy to see these two getting along better. They have gotten closer since we first met her, and based on her persona, I wonder if last night's shenanigans had anything to do with it. She has been softer, kinder, and has not even called Darius "Kalos Boy" once today. That is definitely progress.

"Whoa!" Jess says in awe. "Hey Kalos Boy, look at that!"

Ha! I guess I spoke too soon. Jess grabs Darius by the arm and pulls him toward the edge of the dock. She points out to the ocean. I turn and look out to see what she is seeing. Jaws lifts his head, a Tentacool in his jaws and two more with their tentacles wrapped around them, trying to free their friend. He drops the Tentacool back into the water and looks out as well. The last sliver of sunlight dissolves beneath the horizon and the ocean lights up light the night sky. Dozens of red gems shine from beneath the surface. The Staryu float to the surface and appear to be arranging themselves in correlation to the most prominent constellation in the sky right now. I know it to be an Onix, but Jess insists it is a Milotic. I am unfamiliar with that Pokémon, so I assume it must be a Hoenn Pokémon. As we look out at this serene visage, I find myself thinking about all the new and wonderful Pokémon I will see when we get to Hoenn. The thought of exploring a whole new world has me excited, but it is soured by the looming unknown of what may happen to Johto in the coming days. I just pray we can do something to stop it. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jess sliding her hand into Darius' and their fingers intertwine. One by one, the red gems sink into the ocean and disappear from sight. After a couple minutes, nothing remains but the reflection of the night sky. Jess and Darius look at each other and suddenly seem to realize they are holding hands. They quickly let go and pull away from each other.

"Hey!" Jess shouts angrily. "Just what are you trying to pull, Kalos Boy?!"

"What!" Darius says defensively. "You're the one who grabbed my hand!"

"As if!" Jess snorts, crossing her arms, but to me, she seems less angry and more embarrassed, for her cheeks are slightly flushed. "I'm going back to the hotel!" And with that, she stomps away.

Darius watches her, looking dumbfounded. "Yeah, well… me too." He proceeds to follow her.

"Hey, don't follow me!" Jess shouts.

"I'm hungry!" Darius retorts. They walk side by side, pushing against each other.

I chuckle and motion for Jaws to follow. He runs over and tugs at my shorts. I look down. "What's up?" I ask. He points to my back, then raises his arms. "Ah! Yeah, of course!" I stoop down and he climbs up my back. He holds on tightly and I carry him back to the hotel.

Once inside the room, I hear Darius and Jess arguing about what they want for dinner. Darius suggests pizza, while Jess demands Johto take-out. As these two bicker, I just pick up the room phone and order both, while getting myself and Jaws a couple burgers. Jess plops onto the couch and powers on her laptop. She taps some keys and looks over her screen. Darius sits next to her.

"Hey, you should tell Crono how you got your Articuno!" Darius suggests. "It's an awesome story!"

Jess laughs. "All right, if you insist," she agrees. "It's not THAT awesome, though. After Team Aqua turned around, Archie suggested we all take leave. I decided to go to Kalos for a week and while there… huh?" Jess furrows her brow and clicks her mouse a few times. Suddenly, she gasps.

"Whoa!" Jess shouts. "This is… incredible!"

Darius and I peer at her screen. Jaws climbs up my back and peers over my shoulder.

"Apparently, this is what Team Galactic wanted with the Lake Trio," she says. The picture depicts a shimmering red chain that appears to be made from same gems that those Pokémon had embedded in their bodies. To think these gems were ripped out to fashion this thing makes me cringe.

"Our mole finally got back with us," Jess explains. "He wrote a full report of the events that occurred earlier today. Man, look what we missed…" She shakes her head. "Anyway, it appears Team Galactic goals were to not just destroy the world, but the entire universe. They wanted to summon the Pokémon of legend in Sinnoh; Dialga, master of Time, and Palkia, master of Space. The chain was designed to control the two and use their power to wipe out everything. The report says that two Pokémon trainers, a boy and a girl, names unknown at this time, attempted to stop them, but their leader, Cyrus, managed to summon the two legends. After summoning them, though, a third Pokémon appeared and pulled Cyrus into a portal. So it would seem the crisis has been averted."

I let out a huge sigh of relief. Knowing that there is now nothing to worry about and Mother and Liz will be safe is an immense weight off my shoulders. Suddenly, Jaws feels like a Pidgey feather on my back. I collapse onto the couch, squishing Jaws behind me, who flails about and struggles to push me off. I lean forward to let him out and he leaps into my lap.

"So that's it, then," Darius says. "We can finally relax and enjoy the next few days until our ship leaves."

"Yeah, I guess so," Jess says.

I do not say anything. I am too relaxed to even move my lips. I just stare at Jaws and smile. He holds his little hands up in the air and I high-five them both.

A chime rings from Jess' laptop. She cocks her head and clicks a button. Then she gasps. "Archie!" she exclaims.

"Ahoy, matey!" a gruff, totally piratey voice bellows through her speakers. "Aye, Jess, it is me, Archie! I just wanted to tell ye good job! The data ye sent me really shivered me timbers! With it, we were able to help Interpol stop Team Galactic. Ye did a good deed, that ye did!"

Jess turns bright red and looks flustered. Darius clearly notices and grumbles a bit. "Well, thank you, Captain!" she says happily. "I was just doing my job."

"Aye, ye did it well!" Archie replies. "Ye deserve a rest, but I have one more task for ye."

"Anything, sir," Jess says.

"That scientist whose computer ye pulled that data from," Archie explains, "he was arrested by Interpol, but later managed to escape. As of now, the scurvy dog is believed to be headed to the Ruins of Alph in Johto. Yer our closest agent. I want ye to go there and head him off. We don't know what he wants there, but he needs to be stopped. Interpol is mobilizing as we speak. Aid them anyway ye can. I know ye can do it, Jess."

Jess nods and the call ends. She powers down her laptop and sets it aside. She looks at the three of us, then begins to pack her bag. Darius stands up. Jess shakes her head.

"No, you don't have to come," Jess says.

"Are you kidding? Of course we're coming, right Crono?" Darius looks at me for assurance.

I stand up and nod. "Yeah, Johto is my home," I explain. "And you are our friend. I will do everything in my power to help my friends and protect my home."

Darius clenches his fist. "Yeah, and so will I!"

Jess looks moved. "Really, you don't have to…"

I walk up to her and place my hand on her shoulder. "It's not up for debate," I say firmly. "We're going."

Jess relaxes and smiles. "Thank you," she says sincerely. "Then I guess we're going to Johto."

We pack up and head out the door. As late as it is, I doubt I would have slept well anyway, given how much I was worried about Mother and Liz. However, relief came with a mission; head off Charon and stop him from entering the Ruins of Alph. What he wants with the ruins, I am not sure. Last time I was there, I learned of the Unown, but there was still a lot left unexplored. Who knows how many more secrets that place holds? Whatever it is, Charon clearly knows something and he must be stopped.

We head outside and prepare to take off. Jess estimates it will take a few hours to get to Johto from here and recommends Jaws sit inside his ball. I ask Jaws if he wants to. He yawns and nods. Poor guy looks pretty tired, so I take out the Luxury Ball and hold it out for him. He taps the button and goes inside. I then jump on Articuno with Jess and we all take off.

The evening is cool and the sky has only a few scattered clouds. The moon is full, lighting the land beneath us. I remind myself again to find a nice bird Pokémon so I do not have to keep hitching a ride with Jess. We fly mostly in silence, with the exception of Jess suggesting we stop at Viridian City to rest the birds at the Pokémon Center before flying over the mountains. The winds around Mount Silver can sometimes be harsh and the birds will need to be at their best if they are to make it over. The flight to Viridian takes about an hour and we land in front of the Pokémon Center. Darius and Jess hand off their birds to the nurse and after a few minutes, they are good as new. We thank the nurse, leave the center, and take off.

As we fly toward Mount Silver, the clouds in the sky begin to thicken and grow darker. Visibility lessens as snow begins to fall. I hold my hand out and catch a few flakes. Snow falls harder and soon, a flurry whips up around up. Mount Silver looms before us, growing larger as we fly closer. The winds beat against Articuno's body. I bet this snow does not bother Articuno, given her Ice-type, but I wonder if Jess is cold. I offer my jacket, but she refuses, remaining focused on the flight. I look at Darius, wondering if Talonflame can withstand the harsh ice storm, but Darius looks quite comfortable. The snow seems to not affect Talonflame, and I can see why. Talonflame appears to be giving off enough heat to Keep Darius and herself warm and the ice off their bodies. The wind, however, seem to be beating her back as she struggles to stay in the air.

The mountain grows larger and the wind grows stronger. Articuno dives, flying lower to avoid large gusts. Talonflame seems to be holding her own, taking her own path to avoid the gusts. Articuno swoops around a mountain peak, and on the other side, I catch a glimpse of what appears to be a Pokémon battle! Two trainers face off each other, one in red and one in gold, as a Snorlax and a red Gyarados clash. I have never seen a red Gyarados before and wonder where it came from. The view is brief, however, and the quickly disappear within the flurry. I think they are crazy for battling in such harsh conditions in a location such as a mountain peak!

We reach the other side of Mount Silver and the wind begins to let up. The snow lessens and the birds have an easier time flying. The two birds appear tired, but carry on. Jess suggests a brief rest in Violet City before moving to the ruins. We lower our altitude and fly above the trees. Behind us, a few Skarmory tail us. They glide around us, darting over and under us, and Talonflame squawks at them, annoyed. Most scatter off, but a couple linger with us. One catches up to Articuno, who sings beautifully at it. Skarmory squawks happily and flies right beside it. I watch, never having seen one so up close before. I reach into my bag, grab a handful of Sitrus berries, and start tossing them, one at a time, at the Skarmory. It catches them with its sharp beak and eats them merrily. It moves closer, just above me. I reach out and gently stroke its neck. Its hide is cool and smooth to the touch. Skarmory squawks. I hold out a Sitrus berry and Skarmory eats it from my hand. I smile as I watch it eat the berry. Skarmory squawks again and flies off. It dives toward the ground and into the trees.

Jess looks back at me. "Hang on, we're approaching Violet City!"

I grab her waist as she pulls Articuno into a sharp dive. I spot the iconic red roof of the Pokémon Center amidst the city lights. Articuno thrusts her wings out, halting herself, and gently lands on the ground. Talonflame immediately follows suit, and at last, we are on solid ground. We jump off, Darius and Jess pull their birds into their balls, then we walk inside the center.

The Pokémon Center is warm with a few people inside. The nurse comes out from the back with a tray of Pokéballs. She hands them to a trainer, who thanks her graciously, and returns to the counter. We walk up and Darius and Jess hand her their two Pokéballs.

"Just these two?" she asks.

Darius nods. "Yes," he says. "This one is Talonflame and the other one is Articuno."

The nurse looks surprised. "Wow, an Articuno?" she gasps. "That's amazing! That's a bird of legend! How did you get it?"

Jess looks smug. "Well, you see, I was vacationing in Kalos when…"

Suddenly, the building begins to shake. "Earthquake!" the nurse shouts. "Everyone stay calm!"

The building rumbles for a few more seconds, then everything goes quiet. The rumbling ends, but the people all look on edge.

"That was the third one tonight," the nurse says, face wrought with worry. "I wonder what is causing them?"

"Dugtrio migration, perhaps?" Darius suggests.

"This time of year?" Jess questions. "No, I think it is something worse. Much worse."

"It felt like it came from the ruins," I remark. "It felt similar to the rumbling that occurred the last time I was there, only much greater."

"We need to hurry then!" Jess says. "Hurry up with our Pokémon, nurse!"

The nurse nods and rushes to the back. I sit down on a bench, but Jess and Darius remain standing, talking amongst themselves. I pull out Jaws' ball and release him. He comes out snoozing, slouched across the bench. He cracks an eye open, looking at me, then yawns and rubs his eyes. I hand him a Sitrus berry and he eats his, eyes droopy and looking groggy. I give him a bottle of fresh water, and that seems to help him wake up. He stands up and smiles happily at me. I pet his head and we play together while we wait.

At last, the nurse comes back with Articuno and Talonflame. Darius and Jess take them, thank the nurse, then rush outside. I get up and rush outside with them, Jaws right behind me. I point west.

"The ruins are that way," I say. "The path should be just outside the west gate."

We take off, running toward the west gate. Once through, I rack my brain trying to remember where exactly the path is. At last, I find the path, still as rugged and unkempt as I remember it. We trudge down the overgrown path, pushing branches aside and stepping over brush. Various wild Pokémon scramble to get out of our way as we push through the shrubbery. Clearly, Jaws remembers this too, and opts to climb up my back and hang on than attempt to push through the tall grass and weeds again. At last, I see the familiar stone structures and we emerge into the ruins.

Darius looks in awe at the ancient structures. Jess looks like she has been here before, but given her history, it may have been for ulterior reasons. I touch the sandstone brick of a wall and the memories of my last visit flood my mind. I remember it clearly now and I head straight for the archeologists' shack. I push the door open and look around. Nobody is inside; however, there are signs of a struggle. A lamp is knocked over, broken, the bed is in disarray, and the study desk has collapsed. Whatever happened here, it was bad.

"Crono!" Darius shouts from the doorway. "Over here!"

Jaws and I rush over. Darius points to the ground in front of the shack. Based on the tracks in the dirt, there was definitely a struggle. A trail leads down the path and around the corner of one of the stone structures. We follow it, running to find the end of the trail. As I turn the corner, a terrible sight awaits me.

"Cole!" I shout.

Cole lays face-first in the dirt. The dirt around him is stained red and it sticks to his tattered collar shirt. I run up to him and roll him over. He sputters and coughs as he clutches a deep stab wound in his stomach. A large pool of muddy blood surrounds him, soaked into his shirt and shorts. He looks around frantically, and relaxes when his eyes meet mine.

"Y…you…" he sputters. "I… remember you…"

"What happened?" I say. I frantically search my bag for something, anything, to push onto his wound.

"A man…" Cole stammers. "He… he went into… the ruins… We found a new… cavern. It leads north… don't know… what is there… but this man… he… killed them. He killed them all!"

Cole sputters and coughs up blood. I find a clean shirt of mine and place it over the wound. Cole groans as I apply pressure, but from the large puddle, I fear it may be too late.

"We'll get you to a hospital," I say. "You're going to be fine!"

"My bag… get it…" he says. Darius looks around, finds Cole's satchel, and hands it to me. I hold it up and Cole weakly nods.

"Inside… an egg," he coughs. "Please… take care of it… for me."

Inside his satchel was a large metallic egg, silver with red streaks. It was fairly heavy for its size, but I take it, look at Cole, and nod. "I'll hold onto it until you're better," I promise.

Cole looks at me as if it is the first time. "Ah… Crono… I remember you," he sighs. "Yes… I stand by… what I said." With his last word, he closes his eyes, exhales, and goes limp. I look down, tears in my eyes, and gently shake him. When Cole fails to respond, I check his breathing and his pulse. Both are non-existent; he is gone.

"No…" I whisper. "Not like this."

Darius and Jess look down, solemn. I take one of my shirts, wrap the egg in it, then gently place it in my backpack. I then search Cole's satchel, find his journal, and stick that in my bag. I stand up, look down at Cole's lifeless body, and say a small prayer.

"I'll find your family and give them your journal," I say quietly, "and I promise I will avenge your death."

I look up at my friends, fists clenched, eyes brimming with determination. I look into the building, the darkness within beckoning me, and I am determined to bring this to an end. Cole's death will be avenged.

"Guys," I say. "This ends now."


	11. Chapter 11: Armageddon

The corridor is long, imposing, and silent. It is lit only by scattered torches placed sparingly through. Where is leads to, I have not a clue, only that it goes down and to the north. We walk in silence, with only our footsteps echoing off the walls. We walk what feels like is several miles, but at last, we reach the end. We emerge into a small clearing amidst a heavily wooded area. The sky is barely visible, keeping the moon's light from seeping through. Across the clearing, I see a dim light coming from another stone structure. We walk carefully toward the light. The sound of the wind rustling through the branches overhead fill my ears. It is soft, yet deafening. My heart hammers against my ribs as we walk into the unknown. This man, this Charon, he murdered Cole, but for what reason? What does he plan to do here? What could be worth taking another man's life?

We approach the stone structure cautiously, not knowing what we will encounter. The interior is faintly lit, just like the tunnel, with torches. Jaws walks beside me, not showing the faintest sign of fear. He just may be braver than I, because I am terrified, but I am also angry, and the anger suppresses my fear. I admit, I want vengeance. This Charon will pay for his crimes, even if it is the last thing I do.

We all walk side by side. Darius has a hand over his Pokéballs, ready for action. Jess too is ready, one ball already in her hand. I grip the straps of my backpack tightly. My precious cargo, the egg Cole gave me, weighs almost as much as Jaws. It weighs me down, but the adrenaline keeps me going. I constantly remind myself of my mission; I am here to find Charon and bring him to justice. Archie said Interpol is on their way here. If I have to hold Charon down myself until they arrive, so be it.

The corridor ends at a larger room. This room has the same markings as the structures before, with the Unown. The message on the wall is barely visible, eroded with time, but I can just make it out: "We are the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." These words send chills up my spine. Who is the "we" referring to? I recall the other message I saw that used a plural pronoun: "Our words shall remain here for the ages." "We", "our"; these words make my hairs stand on end.

Jess gently touches one of the etched letters on the wall. "Strange markings," she says. "I wonder what they are."

"They are words," I say. Darius and Jess look at me bewildered. I explain. "I visited these ruins earlier in my journey. Cole and I determined these etchings are actually letters. This one reads 'We are the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.'" I shake my head. "But I don't know what it means."

"That's very ominous," Darius says.

"Let's keep going," Jess says. "This place gives me the creeps."

I nod and turn to walk toward the next corridor. After a few steps, my foot sinks into something wet. I step back and look down. It looks just like what Cole was laying in, and I realize it is blood. I blink into the darkness of the corridor and realize there are several bodies scattered through the hallway. Cole's team, I realize. He was right; Charon killed them all. We step carefully, trying to avoid stepping on the dead. These poor souls did not stand a chance. This was not a struggle; it was a slaughter. This Charon is ruthless and I suddenly realize we are in grave danger.

"This guy is so going down," Jess says. "There is no way he's getting away from me!"

"Such brutality…" Darius whispers.

I take a deep breath. The air thickens with the stench of the dead and it makes me gag. I hold my nose as we continue further down the hallway. I count the bodies as we proceed; seven in total, every single member of Cole's team. This man has killed eight people just to get here. What on Earth could possibly be down here to drive a man to such madness?

The corridor empties into a vast room. The high ceiling opens wide in the middle, allowing moonlight to beam through. The floor is bare and wide, almost like an arena, and at the opposite side of the room, a large triangular platform stands. Upon that platform, the faint image of a man standing there and beside him, stands a tall massive beast. It is white with four legs, a long pointed head, and has a giant golden ring around its body. This is the first time I have ever laid eyes upon this creature, but already I know what it is. I have studied it tremendously, for years, to understand why it is and if it even exists, and now here it is, towering over me, and I still do not believe it.

"No way…" I say.

"Is that what I think it is?!" Jess exclaims.

"Oh… my…" Darius stammers.

"Arceus!" the man shouts. He turns and faces us. "Welcome to your doom!"

The man is old, probably in his sixties, with small round spectacles over his baggy dark eyes. His grey hair stands out on both sides, and he wears a white lab coat over a grey shirt with a yellow G on it. He stands hunched, looking down at us from atop the platform, with a wicked grin.

"Charon!" Jess shouts. "You're under arrest!"

"Oh?" Charon quips quizzically. "Whatever for?"

"The murder of Cole and his seven team members!" I shout.

"Ah, them," he says. "Well, that is a matter of opinion. You see, what I am doing here is of the utmost importance. Their deaths were necessary to fulfill my duty. Their sins were great. Yes, great indeed."

"What could possibly justify the death of eight innocent people?!" Darius demands.

Charon looks at us from over his spectacles. "I believe the real question here is, do you dare to defy God?"

"What?!" Darius exclaims.

"Ah, yes, I failed to mention that, didn't I?" Charon chuckles. "You see here, standing at my side, is none other than the Creator Himself. Say hello, Arceus, the Creator of all things!"

Arceus looks at us from over its shoulder. Its fiery eyes glow brightly. Charon chuckles again. "Ah, there it is. The fear of the inferior. You fear what you do not know, but you fear more that which IS known. You know the power of this deity, and that power is now mine."

"How?" Jess stammers. "How… is this possible?!"

"There is no way you can control that thing!" I shouted. "If that really were the Creator, it would not bow to the whims of a deranged old man!"

"Ah, but that is where you are wrong," Charon says smugly. "Behold my genius! I have captured this creature using Silph's greatest invention; the Master Ball!" He holds up a purple and white ball with an M on it. "Silph has worked tirelessly in perfecting the ball's technology for it to allow the capture of any Pokémon without fail! The parts are still too expensive to mass produce, so only a few exist. I stole one from Silph and with the power of what was left of the Red Chain, I have created a ball that gives me total control of whatever Pokémon I capture! Now Arceus is powerless against me and will obey my every command without hesitation!"

I clench my fist. A Pokémon of that power will not be easy to stop. I worry that even with the three of us, there will be no stopping this powerful beast. The situation looks grim.

"Now that I have stalled you long enough, Arceus has finished creating that which I seek!" Charon laughs manically and gestures to three massive eggs behind him. "Behold, the power of the creation trio! Dialga, master of time; Palkia, commander of space; and Giratina, wielder of anti-matter! With these three, I will shred this universe apart and create a new one in MY image! Cyrus was a fool to think he could do so without Arceus' power, but now that Arceus is under my control, I can end this world once and for all!"

"Why?!" I shout. "Why do you hate this world so much?!"

"Why, you ask?" Charon cocks his head. "This world is empty to me. The only thing that mattered to me was lost years ago in the war. My son…" Charon trails off.

"The war!" I have a flashback to when we were in the cave with Lugia. The images he showed me flash through my mind rapidly; Awaji Island, my father and his men, the invading enemy, the duel, my father's defeat… and it hits me. He looks just like him! The man that defeated my father, the one who killed him, was Charon's son?!

"Your son!" I shout. "Your son invaded the island of Awaji! He was there!"

"Ah, you know your history," Charon says. "Yes, my son was the commander of the most elite forces in the world! His skill was great! He and his Gallade tore the enemy apart and would come out of battles without so much a scratch! It was a stroke of terrible luck that the island blew up, and I cannot believe those Johto scum would resort to such drastic measure! Filthy heathens!"

"You're wrong!" I shout angrily. "My father was NOT a filthy heathen! We did not destroy that island!"

"Pish posh, I don't care!" Charon screams. "The time for chit chat is over. The god of this world demands blood! It shall have yours!"

Darius grabs a Pokéball. "Brace yourselves!"

Jess holds her ball out. "Let's do this!"

I reach for Exeggutor's ball. "We end this now!"

We throw our balls. Darius' Sylveon pops out, along with Jess' Mightyena and my Exeggutor. The three face down Arceus, ready for battle. Charon looks down with glee. He raises his Master Ball and holds it up in front of him.

"You dare to deny your god?" Charon growls.

"You are no god of mine!" I shout. "Exeggutor! Hypnosis!"

"Hyper Beam attack!" Darius commands.

"Crunch!" Jess shouts.

The three Pokémon charge toward Arceus. Exeggutor plants his feet and emits a wave of energy at Arceus. The energy causes the very air between them to ripple. Arceus dashes to the side, avoiding the attack. Sylveon charges an immense amount of energy, converts the energy into Fairy power, and fires it at Arceus. Arceus stands its ground, but its hide starts to change color. It produces a pink aura around itself and the ring on its body changes to a shimmering rose color. The beam connects, but has little effect. Jess' Mightyena leaps toward Arceus, fangs out. He bites down with all his might, but Arceus changes its aura and hide to black. Mightyena's fangs bounce off Arceus, and Mightyena leaps back.

"What… no way!" Darius shouts. "It wasn't effective at all!"

"Grrr…" Jess growls.

"Do you see now that your power is nothing compared to a deity?" Charon cackles.

"I'm not giving up!" I shout. "Exeggutor! Use Seed Bomb!"

"Exeggutor!" He shakes his branches and launches a volley of explosive seeds at Arceus.

"Sylveon, Shadow Ball!" Darius commands.

"Take Down!" Jess orders.

Arceus changes to a shade of green just before the Seed Bomb hits. They bounce off harmlessly. It reverts back to its original white color as the Shadow Ball and Mightyena's attack make contact. The Shadow Ball passes right through Arceus with no effect and Mightyena bounces off its aura.

"This… is unreal!" Darius exclaims. "Our attacks have no effect on it!"

"It's like it keeps changing its type to counter our attacks!" Jess says.

"Now that you have seen your resistance is futile, it is time to end this silly game!" Charon holds the Master Ball out. "Arceus, cast your Judgement upon these mortals!"

Arceus' eyes glow brightly with the fire of a thousand suns. The golden ring shines, lighting the entire room. Beams of energy rain from the sky, pummeling the ground around us all. I dive out of the way, Darius gets knocked back by an explosion, and Jess stumbles backward. The screams of our Pokémon echo through the chamber, drilling holes directly into my heart. When the rain stops and the dust settles, we pick ourselves up only to see our three Pokémon lying on the ground, unconscious.

"No way!" Darius shouts.

"One attack took them all out!" Jess exclaims.

I pull Exeggutor back in its ball. "How do we beat this thing?"

"You can't!" Charon cackles. "Behold the power of God! Nothing can stand in our way!"

"We have to keep trying!" I say. "We can't give up!"

I throw out my next Pokémon, Dunsparce. Darius releases Talonflame, his pride and joy. Jess brings out Articuno. Her cry is music to my ears, but I do not have time to enjoy it. I immediately shout my command for Dunsparce. "Use Dig!" I shout.

"Flame Charge!" Darius orders.

"Ice Beam!" Jess commands.

Dunsparce digs into the ground and tunnels her way to Arceus. Talonflame flips through the air and charges toward Arceus, wrapped in flames. Articuno spreads her wings and fires a stream of ice. Arceus changes color again, an earthy color to deflect Dunsparce, an orange-red to defend against Talonflame, and an aquamarine color to dissipate Articuno's Ice Beam. Arceus glows brightly again, spewing energy everywhere. Pillars of light rain around us, exploding around us, a vicious barrage upon our Pokémon. All three hit the ground, unconscious. We pull them back in.

"We can't get through!" Darius exasperates.

"This is pissing me off!" Jess growls angrily.

"We need a plan," I say. "Strategize! It is changing its type to match our attacks. If we make it change to a type, then immediately strike with its weakness, if we're fast enough, we might be able to break through!"

"Hey, that might work!" Darius says.

"We trick it into exposing a weakness!" Jess says. "I like it! But all I have left is Wailord."

"That works, I'll use Pachirisu then!" Darius says. "You make it change to Water type, Pachirisu will zap it into paralysis!"

"I'll use Brawny!" I say. "He can throw Pachirisu at it so Arceus doesn't have time to react!"

"Great, let's do this!" Darius says, throwing Pachirisu's Quick Ball out. Jess and I follow suit with Wailord and Brawny.

"Machamp!" Brawny bellows as he is released.

"Fools," Charon says. "This pointless skirmish grows tiresome!"

"We aren't quitting until you're behind bars, Charon!" Jess growls. "Wailord, use Hydro Pump!"

"Pachirisu, use Electro Ball!" Darius commands.

I point my finger. "Brawny, use Seismic Toss… on Pachirisu! Throw him at Arceus!"

Wailord fires a massive stream of water at Arceus. Brawny grabs Pachirisu as Pachirisu spins a ball of electricity in his paws. Brawny spins rapidly and hurls Pachirisu at Arceus. The stream of water is about to make contact with Arceus when suddenly, Arceus vanishes. An instant later, it reappears in front of Pachirisu, slamming into him. Pachirisu flies back toward Darius and hits the ground. Pachirisu slowly, but surely, rises to his feet, struggling to stay up. Brawny charges toward Arceus, eager for combat. He unleashes a barrage of punches at Arceus with blinding speed. Every punch is a blur and I can barely make out his movements. Arceus generates a multitude of energy-based arms and uses them to block each of Brawny's punches.

"Ah, Machamp!" Charon cackles. "I read that Machamp can throw a thousand punches in a second! Arceus, however, created this world with its thousand arms, and can throw a thousand punches in a millisecond!"

Every arm suddenly pulls back and every single fist jabs right into Brawny's chest simultaneously. The sheer power behind the thousand fists slam into Brawny's ribcage and he gets launched into the wall. He falls to the floor, coughing and gagging. With shaky arms, he struggles to get up.

"Arceus, finish them off," Charon orders.

Arceus glows brightly again. Once again, massive energy beams pour from the sky and rain upon our helpless Pokémon. Beam after beam pummel mercilessly into Brawny, Pachirisu, and Wailord. The brutality of the attack is unfathomable, yet undeniable. Our Pokémon get beaten into the ground like rag dolls, powerless against the relentless assault. As the rain ends, the dust starts to clear, and we see our poor Pokémon lying amidst the rubble. Jess pulls her Wailord back into his ball. I pull out Brawny's dented Great Ball, and with shaky hands, pull Brawny back inside. Darius tries to pull Pachirisu back into his ball, but the energy beam dissipates when it makes contact with Pachirisu's hide. Darius stares, confused. He tries again, but it fails a second time. A third and a fourth time he tries, but to no avail. He looks over at me, his eyes bewildered.

"Why… why isn't it working?" he asks. He shakes the ball and tries again. Nothing. "Crono… why is it not working?"

I stare at Pachirisu's motionless body heaped in the rubble. The ball does not work; it will not retrieve Pachirisu. Why? And then, it hits me. Kurt, the Pokéball maker in the Olivine Market, explained how they work. His words echo through my head.

"A Pokéball is a device that converts living biological matter into energy."

"…living biological energy…"

"…living…"

Darius smacks the Quick Ball and tries again. "Crono, why is it not working?!" He looks at me, worried.

I look back at Darius, tears in my eyes. "Oh Darius…" I say softly. "I… I'm so sorry…" And at that moment, through his jade eyes, I can see Darius' heart shatter into a million pieces.

Darius stares in horror at the lifeless body of Pachirisu. His entire body goes limp and he falls to his knees. The Quick Ball in his hand falls and rolls across the floor. He lowers his head, fists clenched, pressed into the floor. I see the tears fall from his eyes.

"No…" Jess whispers, horrified.

"Why…" Darius croaks. "Why… did… you…" Darius raises his head and looks at Charon. His jade eyes burned with fury. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO KILL PACHIRISU?!"

Charon laughs manically. "Hahaha! The first victim! What pathetic useless creatures!"

"Monster!" Darius shouts. "You're a monster! I'll kill you!" Darius jumps to his feet and charges at Charon.

"No! Don't!" I shout.

Darius does not hear me. Blind with rage, he charges toward Charon. Charon grins demonically, raises the Master Ball. "End him." he says. Energy gathers near Arceus' mouth. The energy collects into a giant brilliant ball, and it is aimed right at Darius!

"Kalos Boy, you fool!" Jess shouts. She runs after Darius. Arceus fires the beam at Darius and the moment Darius realizes his mistake, he freezes. He stares in horror as the beam flies right at him. At the last second, Jess tackles him, knocking him out of the way. The beam slams into the floor, the explosion sending them both flying. They hit the floor and tumble, Jess laying on top of Darius.

"Puny mortals!" Charon says. "Nothing can defeat the god of this world!"

Darius sits up, but Jess lays on his legs, unconscious. Darius grabs her and pulls her back towards me. I run over and help carry Jess. Jaws jumps in front of us, fists balled, staring angrily at Arceus. Darius looks up at me.

"It's hopeless," he says. He looks at Jess and strokes her hair. "I'm sorry, I am a fool."

I look back at him. "Stay here and protect her," I say. I glare up at Charon. "I'll get Pachirisu for you."

"He'll kill you!" Darius says. "D…don't worry about it."

"Charon fancies himself a god," I say. "but he's no god of mine. If he kills me, so be it. I will not cower to him." With that, I walk toward Pachirisu's body. Jaws nods at Darius, then follows me, walking by my side.

Charon looks at us with intrigue. I glare right back, my eyes never leaving his. He frowns, clearly offended by my defiant stare. He watches as I kneel by Pachirisu, gently scoop him into my arms, and stand up. I keep glaring at him and finally, without saying anything, I turn my back to him. This clearly infuriates him, because he shouts, "Don't you DARE turn your back on me! Arceus, kill him!"

I know what is coming, but I keep walking. Jaws pulls on my shorts, but I ignore him. I have already accepted my fate, but if I go, it will be on my feet, not on my knees, and Charon will not get the pleasure of seeing my face. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I feel the heat of the energy beam grow behind me. It is over…

A loud explosion erupts behind me, blasting dust all around me. The sound of heavy wings flapping above me fills my ears. Charon growls angrily. "What is this?!"

I slowly open my eyes and look behind me. Standing between us and Arceus is a mighty creature, white with black spines along its back. Its pointed head looks back at me from atop its long neck and when our eyes meet, my heart overfills with hope.

"Lugia!" I say.

Its voice echoes in my mind. *Sorry I am late, Crono,* Lugia says.

"How did you know we were here?" I say, clutching Pachirisu's body tightly.

*Your anguish reverberated across the waters,* it says. *The pain of the loss of your friend, the sorrow called to me, and as the guardian of Johto, I knew I must answer.*

"The guardian of Johto…" I say softly. "Not just Awaji anymore?"

Lugia shakes its head. *I will now look after all of Johto for eternity.*

"What is this?!" Charon demands. "How dare you interfere!"

Lugia turns toward Charon. *How dare I? How dare YOU tinker with forces you do not understand! How dare you claim power that is not rightfully yours. How dare you destroy the lives that which are under MY protection!*

"Foolish creature!" Charon says. "Do you not see that which is before you? You cannot defy the power of your god! Even you are but a mere insect to the might of the Almighty Arceus!"

*I will defend the lives of all in Johto!* Lugia mentally shouts.

"Then you have signed your death!" Charon growls. "Arceus! Cast your Judgement upon these fools!"

Arceus rains its fury upon us all. Energy beams fall around us. Lugia wraps its wings around all of us, taking the full brunt of Arceus' deadly attack. When the attack ends, Lugia checks on us. *Are you all right?* it asks.

I nod. "We're okay," I say. "Unfortunately, Pachirisu…" I trail off.

Lugia nods with empathy, having known loss as well. *I doubt I can defeat Arceus,* it says, *but I can hold it off while you escape.* With that, Lugia rises and spreads its wings at Arceus. It opens its mouth and fires a massive beam of energy at Arceus. Arceus dodges it, but Lugia is ready and flies into the air. It slams into Arceus and the two tumble into a wall. Arceus gets up and raises its two front legs, kicking at Lugia. Lugia spins around, swinging its giant wings underneath Arceus and knocking its hind legs out from under it. Arceus topples over.

I kneel down by Darius and gently lay Pachirisu next to him. Darius looks at me, holding Jess closely, and nods. "Thank you," he says. "We need to get out of here."

"You go ahead," I say. "Take Pachirisu and Jess and escape. I need to help Lugia."

"Our Pokémon can't stand up to Arceus!" Darius says. "What do you expect to do?"

I shake my head. "I don't know," I say, "but I have to do something. I can't turn my back on this. I HAVE to see this to the end."

Darius furrows his brow, looking into my eyes, and then nods. He gently lays Jess on the ground and stands up. "Then I will to," he says. "I still have some Pokémon left. We'll do what we can."

We look at each other, hold our hands up, and grasp each other's firmly. I nod and say "Let's do this!"

Darius pulls out Lapras' ball. He looks at me and nods. "Go Lapras!" He throws the ball and Lapras' beautiful song echoes through the room. "Lapras, hit Arceus with Sheer Cold!"

The room grows freezing and jutting ice shoots out around Arceus, encasing it in ice. Lugia leaps back to avoid the attack, but seconds after, the ice shatters and erupts with steam. Arceus has changed color from white to an orange-red. It gives off an aura of heat, causing the room to heat up. All the ice melts, and Arceus returns to its white color.

Lugia looks back at us. *I said to escape!* it shouts. *Get out of here!*

"We're not leaving you!" I say. "You helped us, now we will help you!"

*I admire your courage, but this is beyond mortals now,* Lugia says.

"This is our world too!" Darius shouts. "We're going to defend it!"

"Enough chatter!" Charon growls. "Arceus, finish off that Lapras!"

Arceus dashes toward Lapras. Lugia spins around and darts between Arceus and Lapras. It fires a beam of energy at Arceus. Arceus gets hit and flies back, but lands on its feet. It fires a beam back, hitting Lugia in the face. Lugia collapses. It raises its head and looks back at us. *I'm sorry,* it says, *but I'm not sure how much more I can take. Please escape while you can!*

Lugia stands up, a little shaky. His body glows and many of its wounds heal over. It leaps into the air and fires another beam at Arceus. Arceus fires one back and the two beams collide. The two struggle to hold their beams, attempting to push the other's back. Both Lugia and Arceus put more energy into their beams, each trying to overwhelm the other. Lugia digs its feet into the ground, but slowly gets pushed back. I look at Darius and he nods. I send Jaws to Arceus, while Darius sends Lapras to the other side of Arceus. Jaws and Lapras attack Arceus from opposite sides. Arceus generates its multitude of energy arms and uses them to fend off Jaws' and Lapras' attacks, while still maintaining its focus on Lugia and their beams. Lugia puts more energy into its beam, but Arceus does the same, pushing Lugia back further. Numerous arms knock Jaws away, while several more grab Lapras and throw her across the room. Jaws leaps back at Arceus for another attack, but received a barrage of punches and flies at me. Jaws collides with me and we both crash into the ground. Arceus puts even more power into its beam. Lugia struggles to hold, but at last, gets overwhelmed. Lugia's beam implodes and Arceus' beam slams into Lugia's face. Lugia's body is rocked by dozens of explosions, its hide being rend by the immense amount of energy. The attack ends and Lugia collapses.

"No!" I shout. I look at Jaws. He is beaten, but tells me he can still fight. I look over at Darius as he pulls Lapras back into her ball. He frowns and reaches for another ball. I set Jaws down. He looks weak, but stays standing and takes on a defensive stance.

Lugia weakly raises its head and looks at us. *Please… run… while you can…*

"Not even a legendary Pokémon can stand the power of the Creator," Charon says. He looks back at the three eggs behind him. They twitch and move slightly. "Ah, and the eggs are close to hatching! Nothing can stand in my way now!"

*Creator?* Lugia asks weakly.

"Hahaha! Yes, behold your Creator!" Charon cackles. "Arceus created you, and now it will destroy you!"

I shake my head. This fight really does seem pointless. God or not, Arceus is way too powerful even for Lugia. I feel there is no way we can stop this thing, nor stop Charon from destroying the universe. I look down. Suddenly, a Dusk Ball falls out of my pocket. That is right, that Pokémon's ball, the question mark Unown. As the ball hits the ground, it opens and the question mark Unown pops out. It hovers in front of me and chimes. I look at it, reach out, and gently touch what could be its head. I realize this is the first time I have touched Unown. It is smooth, soft, and warm. It looks at me with that weird lazy eye and chimes again. I smile.

"What is that?" Charon asks. "Another pathetic attempt at resistance?! Arceus, finish off these pests! Judgement!"

The sky grows bright with energy. The beams rain down on us. It looks like it might finally be over, when suddenly, the entire room goes black. I hear the explosions of the beams through the darkness, but nothing happens. At last, the explosions cease. The blackness breaks apart and the room appears again. This time, there are swarms of black things flying around the air. It looks like Unown!

*The Unown have come too!* Lugia says, amazed.

"It doesn't matter how many worthless creatures you throw at us!" Charon growls. "Nothing will defeat your God!"

*Arceus… is not God,* Lugia says.

"You dare blaspheme in the face of your Creator?" Charon shouts.

*Arceus may have created this world,* Lugia says, *but the Unown created Arceus!*

"WHAT?!" everyone shouts simultaneously.

The Unown zip around the room, swirling around us all. The Unown are many, and eventually, we are enveloped in darkness. They spin faster and faster, emitting a high pitched whine. I feel a power fill my head, similar to when Lugia speaks, but much more powerful. It pierces by brain and just when I think I cannot take anymore, my mind explodes with white.

For all eternity, before time and space came into existence, there was the Unown. The Unown was a void in which nothing existed but the Unown. Then it came to pass that from within the Unown, a single egg was created. The egg, suspended within the Unown, hatched and a magnificent creature was born. This Pokémon was pure and innocent, and the Unown loved its creation, for it was perfect. The creature lived in harmony with the Unown, inside a bubble of purity, within the Unown. The Unown saw that it was good and bestowed the creature a name; Mew.

It then came to pass that the Unown saw Mew was lonely, and thought it was not good for Mew to be alone. So from Mew's DNA, it created another egg, and this egg incubated within the bubble of purity. The egg hatched and another magnificent creature was born. The Unown loved their new creation and saw that this creature was good. The Unown bestowed the Pokémon its own name; Arceus.

The Unown then decided to create a universe, in which their new creations can thrive. The Unown created the earth, the sea, and the sky. The ocean enveloped the globe, a bubble of water, filled to the brim. From within the water, magma boiled and rose to the surface, solidifying into earth. Mountains rose and valleys fell. The Unown created the wind and the sky was cleared. Clouds formed and the Unown wrapped the world in light, creating the sun and the moon. The Unown speckled the night sky with stars, and they saw that it was good.

To Arceus, the Unown commanded that it create the logical world, so that the world can progress. Arceus, with its power, laid three eggs. These eggs hatched and thus, it came to pass that time, space, and anti-matter came into existence. To these three, Arceus charged with keeping time, space, and anti-matter in check, and it gave them names. To the master of time, Dialga; to the commander of space, Palkia; to the wielder of anti-matter, Giratina. These three ruled over the logical aspects of the universe and with them, brought forth progress.

To Mew, the Unown commanded that it create the living world, so that the world can thrive and prosper. From Mew's DNA came forth all the living things of the world; plants to produce oxygen, and Pokémon to produce carbon dioxide, and the two shall live in harmony, providing for each other. The plants shall provide breathable air and food for the Pokémon, and the Pokémon shall provide breathable air and food for the plants. The Unown looked upon the world that was created, and it saw that it was good.

And so it came to pass that Giratina, wielder of anti-matter, looked upon the world and pondered upon its duties. It approached Arceus and asked "Are you satisfied with your duty? Do you not wish that you too could create life for this world, as you have created us?" Arceus looked upon the world and said "I long to create life for this world, but it is not my place. The Unown have commanded me to charge the logical world, and charge the logical world I shall." Then Giratina said "But you are most powerful, capable of creating life as well, better life than that of Mew. Should you not be allowed to contribute to this world?" Arceus pondered this, and said to Giratina "I can create life better than this, and so I shall." And so Arceus travelled to the living world, and from the ground, it produced humans. These humans were honored to have been given life, and built a tower atop the highest mountain, and they called it Spear Pillar. There they praised Arceus for having given them life, and Arceus was pleased.

Then it came to pass that the Unown learned of what Arceus had done. To Arceus it said "We have charged you with the keeper of the logical, and yet you created humans." Arceus said "I too can create life, and wish to contribute to the world." The Unown said "You have shirked your duties, and now your creation Giratina wreaks havoc upon the living world." Arceus looked and saw Giratina destroying the Pokémon that which Mew created. It tore them apart and ate them, feasting upon their bones. Arceus's heart broke and realized it made a terrible mistake. It said "I have forgotten my duties and now Giratina runs wild. I shall make it right." And to Mew, Arceus apologized and sought its help to subdue Giratina's violent tendencies. They fought Giratina, while the Unown created the Distortion World, and together, they banished Giratina to the Distortion World, where it was to reside for eternity. The Unown then said to Arceus "You have righted your wrong, but you still shall be punished. You shall be trapped atop the Spear Pillar, that which your children have created for you, where you may look after them, but never shall you leave." And so, it came to pass that the Hall of Origin was built within the Spear Pillar and Arceus reigned over the humans from its prison.

It came to pass that humans began to multiply, and the mountain became too small to hold them all. However, humans had no knowledge of the world, and began to fight over the land. Arceus saw this and beckoned Mew for assistance. To Mew, it said "My children have no knowledge of the world and fight over the land. Help me so they may learn." With Mew's aid, Arceus laid an egg and from that egg hatched three Pokémon. Arceus saw that the Pokémon were innocent, and smiled upon them, bestowing them names; Uxie, bringer of knowledge, Mesprit, keeper of emotion, and Azelf, creator of willpower. With these three, humans came to know the world, and the fighting ceased. The humans spread across the world, and for a time, lived in harmony with Pokémon.

As the humans spread across the world, many lost knowledge of Arceus, and this made Arceus sad. However, due to its confinement, it could not go unto the world to seek its children, and was forced to watch them go. The Unown saw this and fashioned a flute from the midday sky, that which played the most beautiful melody, and that whomever played this flute shall set Arceus free. And so the Unown hid the flute in the world, so that should a human seek Arceus, they shall return to the creator and fill the Hall of Origin with its sweet melody.

To Mew, a tribe of humans dedicated a shrine, so they knew it was the creator of all Pokémon. They worshipped Mew and dedicated their lives to protecting life. Mew saw this was good, and was pleased with these humans. And it came to pass that Mew bestowed a great honor upon these people, and gave them the ability to truly protect Pokémon. They were transformed into Pokémon with great power and spread across the world so that they may protect those in need.

And it came to pass that the Unown saw that the world was good, and created a shrine for themselves, and wrote their story within the shrine, so that those who discover the ruins may be bestowed with the knowledge of Creation. Their words shall remain for the ages, for all to find, so they may see and learn. And the Unown hid themselves within, and when the time comes for their knowledge to be discovered, the Unown will look into the seeker's heart, and they shall be granted great power. For the world began with the Unown, so too shall the world end with the Unown, for they are the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, for all eternity.

My mind snaps back to the present. Charon and Darius appear dazed as well, and I assume they saw the vision as well. Charon looks furious and growls angrily.

"Not possible!" he shouts. "Arceus is God! I am to be the ruler of the new universe! I WILL succeed! Arceus! Wipe out these whelps once and for all!"

Arceus roars and launches the biggest attack yet. It fires beams in every direction. The Unown swarm through the air, absorbing many attacks, but several still make it through. Darius jumps on Jess and provides cover for her. Jaws leaps around, dodging beams. He narrowly dodges a beam, but gets caught in the blast and flies toward me. I catch him, but just as I do, another beam falls toward us. I realize there is no time to dodge, and I shield Jaws the best I can, hunch down, and close my eyes. I feel the explosion around us. The warmth of the beam envelopes us. I think it is over, but somehow, when the dust settles, we are still there. I open my eyes and see a question mark Unown in front of us. It took the hit for us. It looks weak and slowly sinks to the floor. Despite there being thousands of Unown flying around, with perhaps dozens of question marks, I somehow recognize this one as mine. It lays on the floor and looks up at me with its lazy eye. It does not make a sound. I set Jaws down, who looks weak as well, but he remains standing. I gently pick up the Unown. It feels light in my arms and warm to the touch. As I hold it, I feel a strange sensation. Suddenly, all the other Unown come swarm around me.

*The… Unown… are reacting to something!* Lugia says. *Could it be…?*

The Unown in my arms rises into the air. The question mark turns around and looks at me with its lazy eye, then joins the swarm. Jaws then gets lifted into the air. He panics for a moment, reaching out for me. I grab his hands and pull him to me.

*It's okay, Crono,* I hear Lugia say. *They mean no harm.*

I furrow my brow. I look at Jaws, and his fear has left his face. He smiles at me, and I nod. I let go and the Unown lift him into the air. They swirl around and before my eyes, he begins to change! He grows taller, his yellow fur transitions to maroon, and his massive jaw begins to split. It separates and grows larger, gradually forming into two individual jaws. The Unown lower him and he lands on the ground. The Unown spread out, zipping around the room. My question mark lingers for a moment in front of us, then quickly joins the swarm. Jaws was once a small, happy-go-lucky, little ball of pep. Now he is large, imposing, and looks like he will eat everything for lunch. He looks over himself, and seems pleased with the results. Jaws has changed drastically! I just hope he is still the same awesome little guy I know and love.

"Jaws?" I say cautiously. He looks back at me, eyes piercing and hard. He stares at me and for a moment, I fear he no longer recognizes me. Then he smiles and does his signature little hop, and a great wave of relief. I relax and smile. "You look amazing!"

Darius looks stunned. "What… happened to Jaws?!"

*The Unown has recognized the need for greater power,* Lugia says. *They have looked into your heart and saw compassion and trust. As promised, you have learned their knowledge and have been bestowed great power.*

I stare in awe at Jaws' new form. He has evolved, and looks tough as nails. I feel a little sad, for now that he is bigger, we will not be able to do the things that we used to, but at the same time, he looks pleased with his new power, and as long as he is happy, I am happy.

"What is this nonsense!" Charon growls. "No matter how much power you gain, Arceus is still more than powerful enough to wipe you from the face of this universe!" He looks back at the eggs. They shake and throb violently, and begin to crack. "AH! Finally! It is time! Ahahahahaha!"

*Crono, Darius, quickly!* Lugia shouts. *We haven't much time! Finish this fight and end this!*

"Right!" Darius says. "Come on, Crono! I'm not out yet!" He pulls out another Pokéball and releases Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan glares back at Darius, but when he notices the Unown, Lugia, and Arceus around him, his cocky look changes to awe, then to glee. From the looks of it, all this disdain Hitmonchan appeared to have for Darius was really just the wish for a worthy fight. He looks pumped and ready for action.

"We are never going to let you destroy this world, Charon!" I shout. "Jaws, let's take him down! Use Crunch!"

"Hitmonchan, use Bullet Punch!" Darius commands.

Hitmonchan and Jaws both dash toward Arceus, flanking it. Hitmonchan slams his fist into Arceus' side. Arceus quickly changes to a silvery color, absorbing the hit. Jaws brings both sets of teeth upon Arceus, but it does not have much effect.

"Now quickly, Close Combat!" Darius shouts.

"Brick Break!" I shout simultaneously.

Both Hitmonchan and Jaws immediately collide with Arceus before it could change its type. Hitmonchan slams into Arceus with a reckless charge, knocking it into Jaws. Arceus cries out in pain. Jaws plants his feet, pulls both arms back, and as Arceus stumbles into him, he slams both fists and both jaws into its ribs. Arceus wails in pain again. Jaws then grabs Arceus with both sets of teeth and holds it tightly while Hitmonchan relentlessly pummels Arceus with a barrage of brutal punches. Arceus attempts to change its type, switching to a sky blue color that I assume might be Flying type. Darius must recognize this too, because he commands a new attack.

"Ice Punch!" Darius shouts.

Hitmonchan pulls a fist back as it gets coated in sharp icicles. He jabs his fist into Arceus' gut, the icicles piercing its hide. Jaws then leaps onto Arceus' back and repeatedly slams his jaws into the back of Arceus' head. Hitmonchan and Jaws continue their barrage, rapidly switching their attacks to adjust to Arceus' type changing. As I watch, I cannot help but feel Jaws has come a long way since we first met. He has always been in love with battling and was quite strong, much more than I could possibly handle, but he had always been confident in his abilities. Now, he has truly grown, evolved into something amazing, with greater power than I could possibly comprehend, so much as to take on a "god". I feel proud of Jaws, and I know that when the time comes, I will have difficulty saying good-bye.

Arceus roars and energy erupts around its body. Both Jaws and Hitmonchan get thrown across the room. Arceus raises its front legs and stomps into the ground, causing the whole building to shake. Lugia dashes through the air, catching Hitmonchan with a wing, and catches Jaws with its telepathy. Lugia sets them down and shields them from Arceus' next attack. Arceus fires a massive beam at them, which slams into Lugia's back. Lugia bellows in pain, but remains in place, protecting our Pokémon. Charon laughs manically, gripping the Master Ball tightly. Behind him, I see the cracks on the eggs growing larger. Energy begins to spill from them.

"Darius, the eggs!" I say. "We need to hurry!"

Charon looks back and his eyes light with glee. "Here they come!" He turns and faces them, with his arms stretched out. "Come, my children! Come and know me as your master!"

Energy beams of blue, pink, and purple erupt from each of the eggs. From the purple egg, giant black wings with red claws sprout. A gold and grey head rises up and towers over Charon and the other eggs. It glares down upon him. Charon relishes in its presence. The pink egg shatters and a long pink and white neck and tail sprout forth. It roars and the very foundation of space tremble before its might. The blue egg breaks and four legs push their way out. The legs lift the remaining eggshell up, and a large head bursts forth. It shakes the eggshell fragments from its body and roars. The world around it ripples and for very brief moments, I catch glimpses of my past; my mother smiling at me from above, my father tossing me in the air, my mother crying into a letter, getting Cyndaquil from Professor Oak, meeting Brawny for the first time, meeting Jaws… and something else, something I do not recognize, something not from my past… my future? Jaws walks away from me, but it is blurry and brief, and the image dissipates.

Lugia looks up in horror. *They are here!* he says. *Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina…*

"Ahahahaha!" Charon laughs, holding up the Master Ball. "At last, the universe shall be wiped out and made anew in my image! Behold my authority! Arceus, command these three to wipe out existence!"

The Unown swirl around the room. They look agitated, buzzing around wildly. Arceus turns toward the three behemoths. I look around frantically. There must be something we can do. Jaws and Hitmonchan charge Arceus. Arceus uses its thousand arms to fend off Jaws and Hitmonchan, and the two struggle to land an attack. Lugia fires a beam at Arceus, but Arceus deflects it with a hundred of its arms. Arceus' eyes glow brightly and roars at the three titans. The three glow brightly, wrapping themselves in energy. It feels it is too late…

Then I smack myself. Of course! I turn to Darius. "Command Hitmonchan to use Bullet Punch!" I shout, "and make its target the Master Ball!"

Darius' eyes grow wide with realization. He immediately understands why and does not hesitate. "Hitmonchan! Use Bullet Punch and break that Master Ball!"

Hitmonchan disappears. Charon hears our command, looking over his shoulder at us with wide eyes. He attempts to pull the ball away, but it is too late. Hitmonchan is too fast and flies over Charon's head, fist first into the Master Ball. Steel fist meets ball and the ball shatters instantly. The pieces fly across the room and bounce on the floor.

Charon's eyes go wide with horror. "What… have… you… DONE?!" he cries. "No… no… NO!"

The glow from Arceus' eyes disappears and it steps back, shaking its head. The three giants stop radiating energy and look upon Arceus. For a moment, everything falls silence. Even the Unown stop buzzing around the room, and float around, as if in suspended animation. For the briefest of moments, the room is totally silent and everyone holds their breath, watching Arceus. Then Arceus snaps its head toward Charon, and anger fills its eyes. Charon freezes in horror. Arceus' eyes glow brightly, and the three goliaths begin to brim with energy again. Charon rises in the air, and he flails about in a panic.

"No, wait, what are you doing?!" he shouts. "Stop this at once! I am your god! Obey me!"

He flies over to the trio and hovers in the air, suspended. Between Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Arceus, the four look at him with burning anger. Beams of energy erupt from the trio, first from Diagla. Dialga's beam wraps around Charon, and he begins to age rapidly. Then Palkia fires its beam, and the rapidly aging Charon is enveloped in what appears to be a black hole. Giratina fires its beam and Charon's body begins to pull apart, and Charon's choked, broken screams claw at my ears. At last, Arceus fires his Judgement at Charon, and every atom within his body rips apart and at last, there is nothing left.

Silence falls once more upon the chamber. The four god-like Pokémon look down upon us puny mortals from atop the platform. Arceus looks at us for a moment, and then it does the unthinkable; it bows to us. I feel a great sense of honor, and I return the bow. Darius does the same, as does Lugia. Arceus roars, and with a flash of light, all four titans disappear.

I look at Lugia, and it smiles. *It would seem Arceus shall return to the Spear Pillar and resume its sentence,* it says. *As for the other three, they will take up their roles as masters of their domains under the guidance of Arceus.*

"That's good to know," I say.

Hitmonchan walks up to Darius. He looks at Darius for a moment, then with a smirk, he holds out a fist. Darius looks at the fist, then grins, and they bump fists. I laugh. Jaws walks over to me, and as he walks, his body begins to change again. He shrinks back to his original size, the red tufts of fur change back to yellow, and the two jaws fuse back into one. He stops, looking confused, then looks back at me and shrugs. I laugh again, and spread my arms open. He runs up to me and leaps into my arms. I hug him tightly. "Ah, buddy," I say. "You are amazing."

The Unown float around the room. The question mark, MY question mark, hovers over to me and looks at me with that lazy eye. I smile and touch it gently. Lugia looks at us and smiles. *Never in my long years have I seen the Unown grant such power to anyone,* it says, *but given today's events, they have decided that such power is now necessary. They will go out across the world and seek out Pokémon and trainers alike who have the heart to wield this power. In times of need, this power will become available to them, the power to protect this world.*

The sky begins to brighten. The Unown fly out the opening in the ceiling in droves. My question mark looks at me for a moment, and I nod. It chimes, and joins the swarm of Unown. I watch it fly out the ceiling and feel both happy and sad at the same time. Darius pulls Hitmonchan back into his ball, then runs over to get Jess. He scoops her into his arms and walks over to me. Lugia walks over as well, and bows its head.

*I too shall take my leave,* Lugia says.

"Thank you, Lugia," I say. "Thank you for being Johto's guardian."

Lugia smiles. *It is an eternal honor,* it says, and with that, Lugia soars through the opening in the ceiling, trailing the Unown.

I watch as they disappear into the dawning sky. I take a huge breath, then look at Darius. Jess begins to stir. She slowly opens her eyes and looks around. She looks up at Darius, who looks back and smiles.

"Good morning, darling," he says.

Her eyes widen and she pushes him away. "The hell are you doing, Kalos Boy?!" she shouts. Darius stumbles back and Jess falls out of his arms. She hits the ground and rubs her butt. "Ow, the hell you do that for?!"

I laugh. It is good to have her back with us. I was worried about her, but nope, she is fine and back to her old grumpy self. While Darius and Jess argue ("I was only helping!" he says; "You were trying to cope a feel!" she says), I kneel down and motion Jaws to climb up. The combined weight of Jaws and Cole's egg in my backpack weigh me down, but I trudge along, happier than I have felt in a long time. Darius tenderly picks up Pachirisu, a sad reminder of our fragile mortality, and the three of us walk in silence back to the Ruins of Alph.

After a long silent walk down the corridor, we finally emerge back into the ruins. Interpol swarms the ruins, blocking off the area with police tape, carting in forensic equipment, and clean up materials. Among the crew, a large bearded man dressed like a blue pirate stands, arms crossed, with a big grin on his face. Jess sees him and stops. He waves for us to come over. Jess hesitates, but then walks toward him.

"Ahoy, matey!" he says loudly. By the way he speaks, I assume he is this Archie guy we talked to yesterday. "Good to see ye in one piece!"

Jess nods. "Thank you, sir," she says.

"So, I need ye report, matey," he says.

"Oh, right," Jess says, looking a bit nervous. "Well, you see…"

I look behind me and see Darius disappear behind a corner. I follow him and find him struggling to take a Pokéball from his pocket without dropping Pachirisu. I help him and take the ball from his pocket. Darius sighs.

"Thanks," he says. He looks pretty bummed, but it is understandable, given the circumstances.

"Where are you going?" I ask.

"I'm going to the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town," he says. "I'm giving him a proper burial."

"I'll go with you," a voice says from behind us. I look back and see Jess standing there.

"Thanks, Jess," Darius says, "but I need to be alone."

"What you need is a friend," Jess says. "It's not up for debate." She pulls out Articuno's ball and releases her. "Come on. I'll take you to the tower."

A tear rolls down Darius' cheek and he nods. "Thank you," he says.

Jess and Darius climb onto Articuno. Jess looks back at me. "Will you be okay?" she asks.

I nod. "Yeah, there's something I need to do before leaving."

Jess nods. "Okay, we'll be back for you."

They take off, leaving Jaws and I behind. Jaws tugs at my shorts and I look down. He shrugs, looking confused. I pat his head. "It's okay, they'll be back," I assure. "Come on, buddy. We have some business to tend to."

We go back to the scene. Medical personnel are carefully zipping Cole's body into a large black bag. An Interpol officer picks up his satchel. I rush over to the officer. "I'll take that," I say.

He looks at me. "And who might you be?" he asks.

"I'm Crono," I say. "I was Cole's friend."

"His belongings are to go to his only known living relative," he says.

"Please, sir," I say. "Allow me to take it to them."

"That's against protocol," the officer says.

"Please!" I beg. "I owe it to him..."

The officer looks at me, sighs, and hands me the satchel. "Her name is Karen. She lives at 113 Mareep Road in Violet City. She's his daughter."

I nod. "Thank you, sir." I turn and head for the wooded path, with Jaws right behind me.

Once we clear the path, we head toward the west gate of Violet City. We wander the streets, reading the street signs, until at last, we find Mareep Road. We stroll past buildings, looking for 113, and finally, near the end, we find the house. I stop, looking at the door. I check my Pokégear and see that it is still pretty early. I hope she is awake already. We walk up to her door and I ring the doorbell. After a long minute, the door opens and a lovely woman with brown hair and green eyes stands before me. She looks at me quizzically.

"May I help you?" she asks.

"A… are you Karen?" I stammer. "Daughter of Cole?"

The woman looks at me curiously. "Yes, that's me," she says. "Do you know what time it is?"

I nod. "Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry to disturb you at this time, but…" I hesitate, unsure of how to word this. "…I have something for you, from your father." I hold out his satchel.

Karen looks at the satchel and furrows her brow. "Is that his satchel?" she asks.

I nod. "Yes. May I come in? I need to tell you something."

Karen hesitates, but then nods. "Yeah, come on in," she says, opening the door wide. We step inside. "Would you like some tea?" She motions for me to sit in an armchair.

I sit down. "Yes, thank you," I say.

She goes to the kitchen, and a couple minutes later, she brings out two cups of tea on a platter, along with some biscuits and jam. She sets the platter on the coffee table and sits down on the sofa. Jaws immediately grabs a biscuit and begins to eat it. I hand Karen the satchel and she takes it.

"I don't know how to tell you this," I say. My heart pounds, nervous about delivering the news.

A well-dressed man enters the room. Karen motions him to come over and he sits next to her. "Who is this?" he asks.

"Oh, this is…" Karen stops and looks at me.

"Oh, sorry," I apologize, realizing I never introduced myself. How rude of me. "I'm Crono. I'm a friend of your father's."

The man nods. "The name is Jack," the man says, extending his hand. We shake.

"I'm really sorry to say this, but…" I take a deep breath. "I'm afraid Cole is no longer with us."

Karen gasps. Jack puts an arm around her and holds her. "You mean he's… dead?" she asks. I nod and tears begin to roll down her cheeks. "When… how… what happened?"

"He… he died bravely," I explain. "Protecting that which he loved."

Karen bursts into tears as Jack holds her. I look down into my teacup. Jaws keeps cramming biscuits and jam into his mouth. When Karen is eases up, she opens the satchel and looks inside. She takes out his tools, his wallet, and a handful of rocks. She laughs through her tears. "He always loved his rocks," she says.

I suddenly remember something and sift through my backpack. I pull out Cole's journal and set it on the table. I then carefully take out the silver and red egg he gave me and hold it in my lap. "These were his too," I say. "He asked me to take care of it, but you're his family. It's only right that it goes to you."

Karen looks at the egg. She wipes the tears from her eyes and smiles. "If he asked you to care for it, then it should be you who takes it," she says. "After all, we're no trainers. I can see that you would take great care of it." She looks at Jaws as she says this.

I look down at the egg and nod. "I promise I will," I say. "For Cole."

Jack reaches over and picks up the journal. He flips through it. As he does, a picture falls out. It is an old picture, faded and worn with time. It is of a man with a young girl, digging in the dirt together. Karen sees it and picks it up. More tears fall. "I can't believe he's kept this all this time," she cries. "My mother took this photo." She clutches it and holds it to her heart.

I gently place the egg back into my backpack and stand up. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home," I say. "I'll let you be alone."

Karen nods and stands up. "Crono, thank you..." she says.

I smile. "It was the least I could do," I say.

Jack extends his hand. "You're a fine young man," he says. "Take care out there."

I take his hand and we shake. I motion for Jaws to come. He chugs my tea and runs after me as I walk out. I look up and cannot help but feel a huge weight off my shoulders. I have the whole world ahead of me, and tomorrow, we set off for Hoenn.

In the streets of Violet City, we walk around aimlessly. I call Jess and let her know my business is finished. She says she will be on her way, but it will be a while, considering Lavender Town is across the entire region. I tell her to go ahead and meet me at Goldenrod City pier and she agrees, saying she will call when she is almost there. I hang up, we walk through the west gate, and begin the long walk to Goldenrod City.

We arrive at Goldenrod City around lunchtime. I know Mother will still be at work, but Liz normally has the day off today, so I decide to pay her a surprise visit. We head to our apartment building, walk up the stairs to the third floor, and knock on her door. After a minute, I knock again. Finally, the door opens and a large, very muscular, and disturbingly handsome man answers the door. He looks down at me with ocean blue eyes from underneath the golden locks flowing over his shoulders. He is not wearing a shirt and seeing his tight bare chest makes me highly uncomfortable. Why the hell is this man answering Liz's door?!

"What do you want, little man?" he says in a deep manly voice.

I frown. "Is Liz here?" I ask.

"What if I told you she is too busy to see you?" he asks.

I start getting angry. I have been through too much to let some Fabio-wannabe keep me from seeing my girl. "Let her know Crono is here, she'll see me." I notice Jaws is starting to ball his fists. I guess he is getting frustrated with the musclehead too.

The guy stares at me. Finally, a small delicate hand touches his arm. My heart nearly explodes, until I hear Liz speak. "Okay, Chandler, that's enough," she says.

"Chandler?" I say, confused. I stifle a giggle.

"Liiiiiiz!" he whines. "I told you not to call me that around people!" Chandler huffs away.

Liz giggles. "He's so squishy for a guy with so many muscles," she says. "I hope my cousin didn't bother you too much."

I feel a huge rush of relief at the word "cousin". Liz takes my hand and pulls me inside. We sit on the couch and she looks at me with those gorgeous sapphire eyes. I am drawn into them. It feels like it has been ages since I last saw those eyes. I drink up every microsecond of their piercing gaze.

"It's good to see you again," she says. "What brings you here? I figured you would be in Hoenn by now."

"Ah, right," I say. "There was an issue with the ships and we had to stay a little longer. We leave tomorrow."

"Okay, cool," she says. "Well, I am definitely glad to see you again before you go. What have you been doing while you wait?"

I almost tell her about what went on this morning, but decide against it. I barely believe it myself. "Ah, just hanging out," I lie. I really see no point in going on about prior events.

"That sounds relaxing," Liz says. "And where it your friend… er, Darius was his name?"

I look down for a moment. "He's… ah, taking care of some personal business," I say, feeling somber. I wonder how he is holding up? I should probably call him.

"And Jess?" Liz asks.

"She's with him," I say. "They, uh, are kind of, a thing, sort of…?"

Liz chuckles. "That sounds about right for Jess," she says. Her smile is so enchanting.

Chandler walks in with a tray of tea and biscuits, thankfully with a shirt on. He places the tray on the coffee table. I take a teacup and smile at him. "Thanks, Chandler."

He grumbles. "Please don't call me that. I go by my middle name, Max."

"Oh, okay," I say. "Is that short for Maximus or Maximilian?"

He furrows his brow, frowns, and stomps away, giving me a clear answer to my question. Liz chuckles. "Poor guy, he really dislikes his names."

Jaws eyeballs the biscuits and starts cramming handfuls into his mouth. Liz and I quietly sip on our tea, when my Pokégear starts ringing. I press the button and listen. "Hello?" I listen for a few moments, then nod. "Okay, cool, be there shortly." I hang up and put the teacup down. I stand up and take Liz's hand. "Come with me."

Liz puts her cup down and stands up. "Where are we going?" she asks.

"To the pier," I say. "Come on, Jaws!" Jaws grabs a couple more biscuits and runs after us as we walk out the door.

We stroll down the road toward the pier. The bright golden sun beams down warmly and the cool ocean breeze blows through my hair. It feels like it has been ages since I last visited this pier, that fateful day when Jaws ran into me and tried to eat my hand. The Global Trade Terminal looks busy, and people mill about along the pier. I feel slightly nervous about all these people being here, given what is about to happen. Then I hear it; the beautiful melody of that glorious bird. Jess and her Articuno swoop down and land on the pier. Around me, I hear several people gasp, clearly astonished at the sight of such a rare bird. Jess hops off as several trainers swarm her. They assault her with compliments and questions regarding Articuno. There are so many people, she is rendered invisible to us, but her voice is quite clear: "Yeah, yeah! It's a rare bird! Now beat it! Scram!" The crowd grumbles and clears out, and at last, we can see Jess. "Hey Crono, you wanna get out of here before these people…" She stops.

Liz gasps quietly. "Jessie?" she whispers.

"Lizzie?" Jess looks at her, in shock. Then she glares at me. "You never said SHE would be here!"

"Surprise!" I say with a shrug.

Liz walks up to Jess, who kind of shies away. "Jess… why are you dressed as a pirate?" she asks.

Jess frowns and looks at the ground. "If I had known you would be here, I'd have worn something… decent."

Liz smiles warmly. "I don't care how you dress," she says. "I'm just happy to see you after all these years."

Jess looks up and, in a manner totally unlike the Jess I know, pulls Liz in for a hug. "It's good to see my kid sister all grown up."

Liz returns the embrace. "Same with you," she says.

"Where is Darius?" I ask.

"He returned to Vermillion," Jess says. "He wants to be alone for now."

The three of us spend the rest of the day at the pier, talking, playing with each other, dancing, and enjoying a picnic. Jaws plays with the Tentacool in the sea, wrestling them as they wrap their tentacles around him. With several of them seemingly overwhelming him, the sight is hilarious and we all laugh. Jaws manages to shake them off and Tentacool went flying through the air. While they flop and attempt to crawl back to the ocean, Jaws goes to each one, picks them up, and throws them back into the water. The three of us laugh at his antics.

At last, the sun begins to dip into the ocean. Jess checks the time and calls out to me. "Hey, we better get going soon if we want to make it back in time," she says. She releases Articuno from her ball.

I look over at her and nod. I take Liz's hands and look into her crystalline blue eyes. She looks back, smiling warmly. "Thank you," she says. "You have no idea how much it means to me, seeing my sister again."

"Nah, I didn't do anything," I say modestly. "It was mostly happenstance."

"Still, thank you," she says.

I smile. "You're welcome," I say.

"You stay safe, and come back to me, got it?" she says.

"Of course I'll come back to you," I say.

"Oh really?" she says, raising an eyebrow. She moves a little closer to me. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because," I say, my heart racing. "Because…"

Liz inches even closer. "Because…?"

I gulp, my heart pounding against my ribcage. Her lips are so close, and look so inviting. I draw closer to them. "Because…"

I am suddenly aware of several eyes on us. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jess, with her protective eyes piercing my skull, and Jaws, his eyes filled with hearts. Even Articuno watches us, head tilted with curiosity. "Um, Liz…" I say, my eyes never leaving hers. "…everyone is watching…"

"Let them look," she whispers with a smile.

I cannot resist any longer and I press my lips against hers. They are warm and delicious. We embrace, lips locked with passion. My heart beats against hers as I enter a state of euphoria. I feel like we are standing on the clouds, and the heavens sing out around us. It lasts only for a moment, but feels like an eternity; an eternity I wish to remain.

Jess groans and we pull apart. Liz smiles and gently touches my nose. "Because?"

I smile back and nod. "Because."

She lets me go and I join Jess by her Articuno. Jess glares at me as I jump on with her. Jaws waves at Liz and then climbs on with us. Liz waves good-bye to us as we take off into the air. Liz blows a kiss to me and I catch it. Jess grumbles and rolls her eyes.

"Hey, you said it was okay to date your sister," I say.

"I never said it was okay to stick your tongue down her throat!" she snarls.

We soar into the clouds high above the city. Liz watches us until we disappear beyond the forest and into the mountains. As we fly with the sunset to our backs, I reflect on the day's events and suddenly find myself exhausted. It has been an extremely long and trying day, and I am ready to sink into those soft warm sheets. I think about Darius and his terrible loss, and I pray silently that he finds solace soon. To lose a loved one is heartbreaking, and I promise I will be there for him the entire time. As for Jess, I wonder what she will do when we leave. My guess is she will go back to wherever the Team Aqua headquarters is and keep doing whatever it is they are doing. I wonder how Darius will take it? He has already lost one friend; he does not need to lose another.


	12. Chapter 12: A Whole New World

I awake to the delicious aroma of breakfast. I sit up and stretch, yawning. Beside me, Jaws is slumped halfway off the bed, snoring. A mischievous thought pops into my mind and I gently touch his foot. It provided just enough force to tip him over and he hits the floor with a thud. He jumps up and looks around, confused. I laugh. "Good morning!" I say with a grin. He still looks confused and groggy, but just shrugs and walks out of the room, rubbing his eyes.

I get up and get dressed. I wash my face, then head out into the dining room. It is still dark outside, being only 4:30am, but somehow, I feel rested. I am tired, but not sleepy, and very hungry. I peek in the kitchen to see what is cooking. To my surprise, Jess is up with Darius, both still in their pajamas, and the two cook together just like they have done before. Jaws sits at the table, staring at the table with droopy eyes. He appears to be struggling to stay awake. I chuckle.

"Pass the chopped leeks, please!" Darius sings out.

"Right away!" Jess calls out. She scoops up the chopped leeks into a small cup and passes it to Darius. He scoops them up and sprinkles them into the pot with finesse. Watching him cook, he looks unusually chipper, considering recent events. I find myself worried about him and decide to pry a bit.

"Good morning, Darius," I say.

He looks over his shoulder at me with wide eyes. It is kind of creepy. "Good morning, doooooooood!" he sings.

Jess laughs and looks at me too. "YES!" she shouts. "GOOD MORNING!"

I furrow my brow. They are acting really weird and I decide to investigate. I take a peek into the trash can and find a bottle of wine, a bottle of rum, and several energy drinks. I groan, and realize the root of their strangeness; they are drunk and hyper. This morning is about to get bizarre…

Darius juggles some potatoes, and one by one, tosses them to Jess. She tries to catch them, but she ends up fumbling all of them except one. She clings to that one potato and cheers. "I GOT IT!" she shouts way too loudly.

"Um… it's a bit early to be drinking," I say not-so-subtly.

Darius leans back and looks at me upside down. "It's not early, buuuuud," he sings. "It's LATE!"

My eyes widen. "You haven't slept?"

Jess giggles in a way that is totally unlike her. "NOPE! ALL NIGHT!"

Not only are they drunk and hyped up on caffeine, but they seem unusually cheerful, and it makes me wonder. "Um… did you two… er… do anything last night?" I ask.

"PFFFFT!" Darius dismisses. "As if!"

"Hey!" Jess shouts. "You wanted to feel me up!"

"Like there's anything to feel under there!" Darius sings.

"You're not much better, Kalos Boy, with your tiny… little…" she trails off and grabs her head. "…ugh, headache."

Darius seems to be crashing too, and his stirring slogs to a stop. "Oh... right…" he mumbles, as if he suddenly remembered everything.

"Oh God, you did not…" I say.

Darius shakes his head. "No no, nothing happened… we just drank… a lot…"

Jess groans. "Yeah, I should NOT have had that rum last night…"

"You realize our ship leaves at six, right Darius?" I ask.

Darius nods. "Yeah, I know," he says. "That's why I stayed up. I more or less planned to crash the entire trip, but then you guys got back, Jess found me at the dock, and we kind of… got carried away."

Jess shakes her head and swats the air in front of her. "Bit of an understatement…" she grumbles. "I definitely can't handle my rum like I used to…"

"Well, you keep cooking," I say. "I'll pack your stuff for you, buddy."

"Thanks," Darius says. He looks into the pot. "Oh hey, look at that. It appears I'm making that 'Lazy Boy No-Chew Stew' that guy once taught me to make." He grabs a potato, crushes it in his hand, and dumps it into the pot. "All done."

"Good, I'm starving," Jess says. The two serve up the stew and sit at the table. Jess places a bowl in front of Jaws, but he is snoring in his chair and does not notice.

I go into Darius' room and pack up his stuff. His things are surprisingly neat, which makes packing very quick and easy. After a couple minutes, I finish up, leaving a set of clothes on the bed for him to change into, and then head out with his backpack. I drop them by the door, then enter my room and pack. Once I finish with my backpack, I drop it next to Darius' and head to the table. Jess and Darius lazily sip their stew, while Jaws finally wakes up and starts eating his own. I grab a bowl, sit down, and begin eating. The stew is surprisingly good, considering they were drunk and did not seem to realize what they were making. The meat is tender, the vegetables are soft, and the potatoes are… well, mashed, but well cooked. I just hope there is no booze in this stew, or we will all be sucking on this trip.

"So Jess," I say. "What will you do now that this mission of yours is over?"

Jess finishes the last of her stew. "Oh, um…" she stammers. "Archie is giving me paid vacation. He said I can take as long as I need, given recent events. I guess I'll take it."

I nod. "That's awesome," I say. "You definitely deserve it. Where will you go? I hear Alola is nice this time of year."

"Yeah, me too," she says. "I thought about it."

Darius stares into his bowl, not saying anything. He frowns, stands up, sticks his bowl in the sink, and walks to his room. Once he closes the door, Jess moves into the seat next to mine. I am taken aback by the sudden closeness and kind of lean away, but she grabs me by the collar and pulls me in.

"So, things got weird last night," she whispers. "I don't know what he remembers, but I remember all of it."

"What did you guys do?!" I whisper loudly.

"Shh!" Jess hushes me. "Not THAT kind of weird, jerk! But… kind of. Look, he said some things, I said some things back, and we may have fumbled into something that may or may not have resembled a… erm… kiss. But then he acted like nothing happened at all, and well, we were pretty smashed."

I blink. I really have no idea what to say. She leans back and I feel relief at the distance. "What is that look supposed to mean?" she asks, looking offended. "Am I not kissable or something?"

"Ah, no no, of course not," I say. "I'm sure you're a lovely kisser… ah, not that I am curious or anything…"

Jess glares at me, hand still holding my collar. Then, she finally lets go and I exhale. She looks at Jaws, who is silently sipping his soup, still groggy. "Well, there may be something there, it what I am saying," she says. "And… quite frankly, I'm curious to see if it leads anywhere. So, if it is okay with you, I'm going with you guys."

"To Hoenn?" I ask.

Jess nods. "Yeah. I love it there, I can be sort of a guide for you guys, and…" She looks at me and punches my arm. "Someone has to protect you two."

I laugh and rub my arm. "Thanks," I say. "I'm sure Darius will be thrilled."

She puts a finger to her lips. "Don't say anything, though," she says. "I want it to be a surprise."

I nod. "I promise."

"Good." Jess stands up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go throw up."

I watch her walk to her room. I laugh to myself, thinking that they are such polar opposites of each other, the thought of them being romantically involved in any way cracks me up. Jess is brash, tough, crude, street-smart, with a criminal record. Darius is sophisticated, naïve, zealous, and the son of a global security company. Then again, they do say opposites attract.

I get up and knock of Darius' door. It is almost time to leave and I want to make sure he is ready. He opens the door, dressed. I point to my Pokégear and he nods. He stuffs his pajamas into his backpack, then slings it onto his back. He gives me the thumbs up and heads out the door.

"You go ahead," I say. "I need to go collect Jaws." I point my thumb back at Jaws, who is slumped in his chair, spoon hanging out of his mouth.

Darius laughs. "Sure, I'll just go secure a place in line for us." He walks down the hall to the elevator.

I grab my backpack and put it on, then I gently pick Jaws up from the chair. He stirs and looks up at me. "Hey bud, ready to go?" I ask. He nods slowly at me. I set him down and turn my back to him. "Jump on, buddy." He smiles and leaps onto my back. The combination of him and Cole's egg weigh me down, but I can handle it.

Jess comes out of her room, fully dressed, satchel slung over her shoulder. She is holding a few papers and looks at me with a furrowed brow. "When is your birthday?" she demands.

"Huh?!" I blink, stunned by the sudden question. "Oh, um… actually, it was sort of… yesterday, heh…"

Jess frowns. "What?!" She clears her throat. "What a sucky birthday, geez."

"Well, it was pretty nice, actually," I say, thinking about Liz and our passionate kiss.

As if to read my mind, she slaps me with the papers in her hand. "Hey!" she shouts. Then she smiles. "Well, here, happy birthday."

I look at the papers. "What are these?" I ask.

"Archie's full report on recent events," she says. "I know you're looking for answers. Hopefully this report takes you one step closer."

"Oh, thanks!" I say happily.

Jess nods. "Thank Archie

I nod. "Will do, thank you."

"Now let's get going," she says.

Once we leave the hotel, we head to the dock. Jess parts from me and heads to the dockhouse to buy a ticket. I scan the line and find Darius about halfway up. I join him and begin reading the papers. As I go over this, a revelation dawns on me. This report is highly detailed, it was everything I have been looking for, and with every turn of the page, everything I learned up until now; every history book, every archived newspaper, Lugia's vision, the Pokémon Mansion, Silph, Co, the Ruins of Alph; all of it comes together, and with this report, the final piece to the puzzle drops onto the table, and as if a light as come on, I suddenly see everything clearly. After all these years, I finally know why my father died.

The fog in my mind lifts, and suddenly, everything is clear. After all this time, all my burning questions have been answered. Archie's report explains everything, filling the holes that my own investigation has left. Putting all the pieces together, I have learned that the whole reason for going to war was not religion after all, but power. Religion was merely an excuse. With the discovery of Origin Waves within Mt. Coronet, the Sinnoh government gained a tremendous amount of power, more power than any other regional government had. This created a lot of tension around the world. Nobody knew what Sinnoh would do with this power. Sinnoh ended up closing their borders afterward. Trade continued, but was highly regulated and restricted. Sinnoh was very careful about what crossed their borders. Immigration was impossible; nobody was allowed in or out. As tensions grew, Sinnoh finally announced themselves ruler of the world, and through their power, they would maintain order in all regions. Naturally, this did not bode well with others, but what could they do? Sinnoh had much greater power than anyone else; starting a war with them would be a death sentence. For years, Sinnoh reigned, imposing restrictions on other regions and benefitting from it. For nearly two decades, this was the new way of life.

This much I already know. This is history, a history I was born into. However, this report goes into further detail that I had no clue. I am not sure very many knew about this, perhaps not even my father. However, it sheds a lot of light on what went on back then. The restrictions imposed on us by the now Sinnoh monarchy led to the creation of an underground resistance group; Team Rocket. Team Rocket was led by a man named Lorenzo. His vision for Team Rocket was to bring down the monarchy of Sinnoh and free the other regions from its grip. These were done in non-violent ways, mostly relying on infiltration and spy techniques, gathering information, planting false information, and other covert operations. Over the years, Team Rocket made gradual progress in loosening the political reigns of Sinnoh. This helped ease tensions, but the people were still being choked with restrictive regulations and laws. Then Team Rocket had a breakthrough; an operative managed to infiltrate Mt. Coronet and gather a sample of Origin Waves. This success was the tipping point. The sample was turned over to the leading company in science and technology, Silph, Co. Unlike anything Silph, Co had ever seen, they immediately began research and experimentation with it. Progress was tremendously slow, and Silph, Co needed more samples. They began to fund Team Rocket so they can collect more samples.

One dreadful day, a Team Rocket operative was caught while trying to collect a sample. He was tortured for information and unfortunately, eventually broke. He was then tried and sentenced to death. His trial and execution was televised globally to make an example and send a message; treason will NOT be tolerated. Tensions skyrocketed, Team Rocket's operations continued, despite Sinnoh's warning, and Sinnoh began to send in its own spies. When they saw the progress Silph, Co was making on their experiments, they enacted new laws, imposing stronger restrictions and harsher punishments. Police raids were frequent, and many Silph, Co employees were executed without trial. That is when the people of Kanto had enough. They implored the Kanto president to take action against the overbearing Sinnoh monarchy. At first, the president refused, stating there was no possible way they could ever win in a war against them and their powerful Pokémon. However, when Sinnoh finally announced its threat to level Saffron City if experimentation did not cease, the president took a stand. He announced that Kanto would continue to do what is good for the sake of their nation, no matter the costs, and would not take kindly to threats. Sinnoh regarded Kanto's stance as an act of war and attacked. Without warning, they bombed Cerulean City and stormed through with its military. They issued their threat once again; cease their experiments or they move to Saffron, Kanto's capitol. Again, Kanto refused and mobilized its military to defend Saffron. Kanto did not stand a chance against the might of Sinnoh and struggled to hold them off. The Kanto president implored Johto's president to come to their aid. Johto, in light of the attack on Sinnoh, had made preparations in advance and was already mobilizing their troops to Saffron. They also took a diplomatic approach, using their common religious beliefs to insist Sinnoh ceasefire and retreat. Sinnoh refused and responded by sending its most elite forces to Awaji Island, Johto's most treasured possession. An untouched island, a Pokémon Paradise, home to many species, including rare endangered species, species that now no longer exist. Sinnoh saw the island as not only a strategic position within Johto, but also the best way to hit Johto where it would hurt the most. Johto had to pull many of its forces back to defend the island. My father's unit was sent to the island first to act as a buffer, until the main force could fall back from Kanto and mobilize to Awaji. There, my father perished, defending Johto's crown jewel.

I recall my mother saying that Father volunteered to defend Awaji. This did not surprise me because my father absolutely loved Pokémon. He had a way with them where he did not need to catch them in the traditional sense, but could actually convince them to be captured willingly. The vision Lugia showed me exhibited this ability, as in the vision, he was clearly speaking with the Machamp and the Machamp walked with him. I started thinking maybe that is where I got my ability to communicate with Brawny and the other Machoke. At any rate, Father really loved Pokémon, and he loved his family, and I am one-hundred percent certain he died protecting us, Awaji, and our freedom.

The report goes on. After the loss of Awaji and the sturdy defenses of the Johto-Kanto alliance, Sinnoh surrendered. Losing their most elite forces, plus not making much ground in their advance on Saffron City, Caused the people of Sinnoh to rise up and demand the monarchy end the war. With their most elite forces gone, an assault front against two allied regions, and a civil uprising within their own country was too much to handle. Their troops had to pull back to quell the civil uprising, which resulted in the people chasing the leadership out of office. Many were caught and executed, and the people created a democracy, similar to that of Johto and Kanto, and took steps to make amends. Borders were open again, trade flourished, and tensions drastically declined, but the damage was extensive. Cerulean and Saffron were rebuilt with the aid of Sinnoh's new government, but Awaji was gone for good. Many had lost their lives and innumerous families were broken. The Indigo League was formed so budding young Kanto and Johto trainers could rise up and become masters, in case another war ever broke out. Other regions followed suit, creating their own leagues, including Sinnoh. Champions would meet every year for diplomatic discussions. Over the last few years, the talks helped eased tensions and foster trust, and now regions share a friendly and beneficial relationship.

With the end of the war and tensions down, Team Rocket was deemed no longer necessary, and Lorenzo retired the group. He handed over the reins to his son, Giovanni, and instructed him to bring back Team Rocket when it was deemed necessary again. Within a year of his retirement, Lorenzo passed away in his old age. With Team Rocket in his control, Giovanni continued operations, working with Silph, Co behind the scenes with the goal of controlling the world's strongest Pokémon. Giovanni was not like his father and was willing to do despicable things to attain his goals, for he remembered what the war was like and vowed to do whatever it took to keep the past from occurring again, whether it be cloning, genetic engineering, or mutations, if he controlled the world's strongest Pokémon, nobody could ever stand against him. Unfortunately, he went too far and nowadays, Team Rocket is all but gone.

As for recent events, Team Galactic turned out to consist of old Sinnoh monarchy members, trying to take vengeance for the past. Their goal was to collect the legendary Pokémon of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, and use them to destroy the universe and create a new one. They made contact with old Team Rocket members and fed them stories of grandeur. They told them to seek Giovanni, to do whatever it took to coax him out of hiding so they may join forces. Their actions were used as a distraction so Team Galactic's activities would go unnoticed. Charon, the Silph, Co scientist, was recruited by Team Galactic to aid them in the capture of the legends. By using the three Lake Trio, Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, they created the Red Chain, capable of controlling any Pokémon. Team Galactic was unsuccessful, defeated by a couple of young trainers, and their leader Cyrus was pulled into a portal created by Giratina. That is when Charon decided to summon Arceus, and, well, we personally experienced what that resulted in.

Darius grabs me by the collar and pulls me along. "Come on, dude!" he says. "They're boarding!"

I pull myself out of the report and look around. The line is moving towards the ship. A woman checks everyone's tickets as they board. I follow Darius, and just as he hands his ticket to the woman, a familiar voice calls out behind us. "Hey, wait for me!"

We look and see Jess running up to us, waving her ticket. Darius looks surprised, but Jess just glares at us. "What, did you think you could just ditch me?!" she growls.

Darius looks genuinely surprised. "You're coming with us?" he asks.

Jess glares daggers at him. "Of course I'm coming!" she says. "You think a fragile little Kalos Boy like yourself can survive Hoenn by yourself?"

Darius opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it and smiles. He nods and says "You're right, what was I thinking?"

I smile. Seeing these two go at it brings joy. Jaws seems happy to see her too, and runs up to her leg and hugs her. Jess looks down at Jaws and blushes slightly. I guess she is still getting used to the idea of having friends.

We hand our tickets to the woman and climb on board. We head to the bow of the ship and look out to sea. Jess wedges herself between me and Darius and leans on the rail. She glances at Darius, then looks at me. "So, how did you like that report?" she asks.

"I haven't gone through the whole thing, but what I did read was very informative and answered all my question," I say. "Thank you."

I open the report back up. I flip through the pages, which was mostly profiles of everyone involved. I continue flipping pages and at the end, I find a photograph. The photograph was a group picture of men dressed in suits with their Pokémon. The photo is labeled as Team Rocket, dated before the war. There are many men and Pokémon, fifteen of each, but the looming Machamp catches my eye. When I noticed who he is standing next to, my heart stops. The face, the build, the Machamp… no way… could it be? My father… was a member of Team Rocket?

Darius peers over my shoulder and looks at the photograph. "Who are these guys?" he asks. "'Team Rocket'? Why do you have a picture of Team Rocket?"

I keep looking at the picture. Aside from the single photograph we have of him at home, this is the only other picture I have seen of my father. He looks happy too, smiling big, just like his Machamp. It strikes me that this Machamp is Brawny's father, and I make a mental note to show him later. Being on a boat, I am unsure how he would react, and I do not want to endanger anyone around here, just in case.

"Are you okay?" Jess asks.

I nod. "Yeah, I am." I smile, looking at the photo. Having my father a part of Team Rocket does not bother me, considering this was pre-war, before they went bad. Knowing he was part of them back then shows just what lengths he went to keep us safe. I point to him in the picture. "This is him. My father."

Darius' eyes go wide. "Wait, WHAT?!"

Jess looks surprised as well. "Your father was part of Team Rocket?"

I nod. "It seems so," I say proudly. "This was before the war, though, so he wasn't part of the Team Rocket we know today. They were much different back then, working for the good of Kanto and Johto. I never knew until now, though."

"You sure are full of surprises," Darius says.

I take the photograph out and hand the report back to Jess. "Thank you," I say. "It was very informative."

Jess takes the report and puts it into her satchel. "You're welcome," she says.

We continue to stand there, watching the waves roll under the ship. The ocean breeze beats against my face, the salty air fills my lungs; the smell of freedom. To think that I will be in a whole new region I have never been before in just a matter of days; new faces, new Pokémon, a new adventure. I glance back at the fading land of Kanto, sinking into the horizon. Home is long behind me now, and I wonder if my phone will work. Departure is bitter-sweet; leaving loved ones behind, with the thrill of the unknown. What awaits us in Hoenn? Only time will tell.

Three days come and go without incident. The ship ride is relaxing and a lot of fun. I spend much of my time with Jaws, enjoying the luxuries provided by the ship. We swim in the pool, watch movies in the cinema room, and enjoy a banquet every evening. The bed is soft and the room is cozy. I thank Darius for providing such luxurious accommodations. Jess and Darius spend a lot of time together, particularly in the evenings. I am unsure of what they do together, but they are exceptionally hard to find. I let them be and enjoy my time with Jaws.

On the third evening, I find them wandering the halls together. They were not drunk, per se, but they were quite tipsy. Apparently, they had spent a considerable amount of time in the first class lounge, sipping expensive wine and acting like rich snobs. They seem to have really enjoyed themselves, considering their giggle fits and linked arms. I smile at the sight of them together, and I am glad they are having a good time on this trip. I have not gone with them because I prefer to spend my time doing quiet things, like read, or swim, or ponder life events on the deck. Jaws really seems to enjoy himself on this ship, and I find myself questioning whether I should take him back at all. I have yet to notice any sign of homesickness and he seems really happy everywhere we go. I feel conflicted, but decide to hold true to my word. I promised to take him home, and leave the choice to stay or go to him.

At last, we arrive in Slateport City. The passengers all gather on the deck to watch the ship dock. Many people are gathered by the dock to greet the arriving passengers. I take a deep breath. The air is more humid here than in Johto, and a lot warmer. I decide to shed my jacket and place it in my backpack. I can tell there will be little need for it here.

The ship finally comes to a halt. The ramp lowers and the passengers begin to file off. People are hugging each other and greeting each other warmly. We all shuffle down the ramp slowly and finally touch solid ground. We make our way through the crowd and emerge out the back into a large clearing. I stretch and look at Jaws.

"So buddy," I say. "Any of this look familiar?"

Jaws looks around. He ponders for a moment, scratched his head, then shrugs. So I guess he never made it out to Slateport before. I turn to Jess. "What city is the Global Trade Terminal located in?" I ask.

Jess furrows her brow. "What do you mean?" she asks.

"Remember that large building we hung out by with Liz?" I ask. "That is the Global Trade Terminal for the Johto region. Where is the one for Hoenn?"

Jess shrugs. "I'm sorry, I don't know," she says. "I haven't been here for quite some time…"

"Lovely," I grumble.

"Oh!" Jess chirps. "Mauville was going through some major renovations when I left. We could try there. If not, Rustboro is the main hub of industry in Hoenn. It's also home of the Devon Corporation, so that would be another possibility."

I nod and look down at Jaws. "Hey buddy," I say. "Does Rustboro or Mauville sound familiar to you?" Jaws just stares blankly at me. "Right… well, okay, let's try whichever city is closer."

"That would be Mauville," Jess says. "It's just to the north of here."

"Cool, let's go then," I say.

"Hold up," Darius says. "Let's check this place out. There seems to be some interesting stuff here!" Darius starts to wander off.

Jess groans. "That boy is more interested in shopping than most women, I swear." I just laugh.

We follow after Darius, who strolls through the gate of the Slateport Market. There are many stands of people selling various goods and I am instantly reminded of the Olivine Marketplace. We browse through them, checking out the TMs, Pokéballs, food, and various other items. Darius stops at the Pokéball stand, buys several different balls, and moves on. I stop at a stand selling various Pokémon plushies. They are soft and quite cute. I look through them, thinking of Liz. Among them is a Mawile plushie. I pick it up and show Jaws. "Hey look, bud, it's you!"

Jaws reaches up and takes it from me. He looks it over, squeezes it a little, smells it, then hands it back to me. I chuckle and put it back. Jaws jumps, trying to see the rest of the plushies, so I pick him up and let him look. He looks them over and then his eyes go big. He frantically points at one. I pick it up and sure enough, it is a plushie of Plucky Princess Pikachu from the Poképuffs Pop Program, complete with sparkling tiara and a glittery pink cape. Jaws grins big and reaches for it. I hand it to him and he hugs it. I laugh and ask the lady behind the stand how much.

"That will be five thousand, sir," she says. I hand her the money and we leave.

We find Darius and Jess browsing through TMs. He pulls a couple out and looks at them. One is labeled "Hone Claws" and the other is labeled "Thunder Wave". He looks somberly at the Thunder Wave TM and I immediately know what he is thinking of. I place a hand upon his shoulder. He looks at me and feigns a smile.

"Pachi would have liked this move," he says. He gently places it back in the box, then looks at the guy at the register. "I'll take this one."

The guy nods. "That'll be five thousand."

Darius hands him the money and puts the TM in his case. We walk out of the market and head north. As we head to the north gate, people begin to run past us in a frenzy. Girls scream with excitement, charging toward a large building just to the left of the gate. In front of the building, a flamboyantly dressed man with ridiculously stiff hair stands amidst the crowd of swooning girls. He winks, he smirks, and his teeth twinkle in the sunlight. I feel slightly nauseous.

"Hello, ladies," he says in the most utterly pompous voice. The girls scream.

"He's so dreamy!" one girl shouts.

"I love his hair!" another shouts.

"Let me be your groupie, Theo!" shouts a third.

The pompous fool apparently named Theo looks upon the crowd of girls and shines his pretentious smile. "Today is your lucky day, ladies," he says. "For I, Theodesius Prentis Giggleswick, the Third, will pick my new protégé and rising star. Which one of you lovely ladies will be on her way to fame?" Every girl immediately screams.

"Giggleswick?" I snicker. Darius and Jess snicker too.

"Prentis?" Darius chuckles.

"What kind of pretentious ass name is Theodesius?" Jess scoffs.

"And we have our lucky new star!" Theo shouts. He throws a handful of petals into the air. Girls gasp and hold their breath. Theo slowly makes his way through the crowd of swooning girls, each girl giving him a hopeful look. He does not lay a single glance at any of them, eyes fixated on an unknown target. He walks deeper into the crowd, his guards struggling to keep the rabid women at bay. At last, he stops and stares at us. "You!" he says, pointing at Jess.

"Huh?" Jess looks at him. "What the f…!"

Darius quickly throws a hand over Jess' mouth and her string of obscenities gets muffled out. Jess pries at Darius' hand and rips it off. "What's the big idea?!" she shouts, pushing him away.

Theo steps up to her and smiles like a stupid fool. He takes her hand, which she tries to pull away. Theo raises her hand and turns to the crowd. "Just look at this woman," he says. "Those hard cold eyes, those rigid facial features, that pirate outfit; it all practically screams Toughness Champion. Wouldn't you agree? Of course you do. I am never wrong. Let's go, sweetheart!"

"Sweetheart?!" Jess shouts. "Just who do you think you are, you pretentious-ass mother…"

Darius slaps another hand over Jess' mouth. "Shh!" he hushes her.

"Oh my, so brash!" Theos says. "I love it! I have no doubt in my mind you would win the Toughness contest here! You could be swimming in prizes!"

Jess furrows her brow. The word "prize" seems to have gotten her attention. "What kind of contest?" she asks.

"Why, Pokémon Contests, of course!" Theo says dramatically, using his hand to gesture toward the building behind him. "The most fabulous event in Hoenn!" He leans into her, causing Jess to frown and lean away. "You DO have a Pokémon, right?" Jess nods. "And I bet it is a tough one! Let's get you into a Toughness Contest!"

Jess grumbles. "Fine, but they come with me!" she says, pointing at Darius and me.

"Wait, what?" I say.

"Hmm…" Theo walks around us, looking us up and down. After a long agonizing minute of this showmanship, he puts his hands on his hips, closes his eyes, and turns his head away. "Fine," he says, waving his hand in the air, "but I will not sponsor sissy Kalos kids in a Toughness Contest. I have my reputation to think of."

"Hey, I'm not from Kalos," I object.

"Come, darling!" Theo says pompously. "Let's get you ready!" He grabs Jess' hand and pulls her behind him toward the contest building.

"Hey, I can walk myself!" she says, trying to pull her hand free as she gets dragged along. Darius and I look at each other, shrug, and follow.

The interior of the building is vast. The lobby is spacious and busy with fans waiting for the various contests to start. Some Pokémon and fans are wearing costumes. The receptionists stand at the counters to various theatres wear I presume the contests are held. There are five theatres in all, each with a sign above them labeled "Cool", "Beauty", "Smart", "Tough", and "Cute". Judging what Theo kept rambling about, I guess we will be going into the Tough theatre.

Theo leads us to a side room with a sign that reads "Staging". He throws the door open and announces his presence. "I have returned!" he calls out.

All the female staff inside come swooning toward him. They ramble and murmur and squeal. One hands him a teacup and the other starts feeding him Grepa berries. He snaps his fingers and the staff members spread out, each taking their appropriate places. He looks Jess over, looking her up and down. He walks around her once, then stops and leans into her face. He then leans back and holds his hands out in a frame. Finally, he nods. "You are magnificent! Simply marvelous!" he says loudly. "Perfection incarnate! No need for a change of outfit!"

Jess blushes slightly. "Uh, thanks?"

"Do not blush!" he says angrily. "It soils the image!" He points at two of his staff members. "You two! Find costumes for the two Kalos kids. Make them look not so wimpy."

"I'm not from Kalos…" I grumble. Darius frowns.

The two ladies bow and enter a giant walk-in closet. A couple minutes later, they emerge with two costumes in hand. One hands me a biker's outfit, and the other hands Darius a karategi. We look at the costumes, then each other, and swap. We then head to the changing booths and change into our costumes. Once we change, we join Jess by Theo. He looks us over, rubbing his chin. He then shrugs. "Meh." He turns on his heel and walks out the door. "Follow me."

Theo leads us to the Tough theatre. He flashes a ravishing smile at the receptionist, who immediately swoons. He gestures grandly at Jess. "This is my new protégé," he says. "She will be entering this contest, and she will win!" Jess clears her throat angrily. Theo rolls his eyes and points his thumb as Darius and me. "And the two peasants will be entering as well."

The receptionist sighs dreamily. "Yes, sir!" She taps away on her keyboard. "Names?"

"Jess," Jess says grumpily.

"Crono," I say.

"Darius," Darius says.

The receptionist finishes typing our names. "And which Pokémon will you be using?"

Jess thinks. "Uh… I suppose my Mightyena. He's pretty tough!"

"I'll bring Hitmonchan," Darius says.

I think for a moment. Instictively, I pull out Brawny's dented Great Ball, but then I feel a tug on my karategi. I look down and see Jaws, pointing at himself. He flexes his arms, and then points at himself again. I tuck Brawny's ball away and smile. "I'll enter Jaws, my Mawile," I say.

Theo frowns and glances down at Jaws from over his perfectly sculpted nose. "Really…" he mutters. "Very well. Come, come."

Theo leads us into the theatre. People have begun taking their seats, chattering loudly about the exciting contest. I have no idea what we are doing, but I assume Jess does, considering she is from here. She looks grumpy though. Darius looks relaxed, clearly not worried at all about what we are doing. Jaws seems pretty confident too, and I wonder if he has participated in one of these before making the accidental trip to Johto. Judging on the way he looks around in awe tells me that maybe he has not. We enter through a side door leading backstage. Another contestant is waiting with a large four-legged grey and silver Pokémon that looks kind of like a shiny Rhyhorn. The guy is dressed in a denim jacket and pants, and a ball cap with a Koffing embroidered on it. He looks like a regular tough guy, but I am willing to bet it is just a costume like ours.

"Hmph, so this is the competition?" he grunts. "This will be cake." He looks at Jaws and raises an eyebrow. "A Mawile? Really?" He laughs.

Jaws looks at him, puts his little hands on his hips, and grins. Lairon roars and the jerk pats its head. Darius leans toward me and whispers "In a Pokémon battle, that guy would go down fast. Steel and rock? Yeah, talk about double weakness to Fighting and Ground types!" I chuckle.

Theo bows before us. "We will begin shortly, darling," he says. "Allow me to teach you the ways of the Pokémon Contest."

"I know how these things work!" Jess growls. "The first round is to show off how your Pokémon looks. The second round shows off their moves to a judge. I just want the stupid prize!"

"Oh my!" Theo gasps. "You ARE a protégé! You will do wonderfully!"

The denim guy laughs. "YOU are Theodesius' new protégé?" he scoffs. "Oh man, why he chose a flat-chested stick figure like you for a Toughness contest is beyond me! He must be senile!"

Jess glares at the boy. "That's it!" she growls. "Listen up, Jigglypuff!" The boy's eyes go wide. "You open that filthy facehole of yours again, and I'm going to cram my foot so far up your ass, you'll be tasting my toe jam for a week. Got it?!" The boy gulps and slowly nods.

The announcer speaks into a microphone to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen!" he says. "Slateport City is proud to present Pokémon Contests! Today, we have four tough-looking contestants ready to battle it out for the award of Toughest Pokémon! Who will it be? Will it be Charlie?"

The crowd cheers and the announcer points at the denim boy, who suddenly looks small and meek, thanks to Jess. Jess snickers at his name. "Charlie? Very macho."

The boy frowns and leads his Lairon out to the stage. Charlie leans toward the announcer's microphone and says "The name is Chuck."

"Oh, all right," the announcer says. "It says here 'Charlie', but 'Chuck' it is. Here's Chuck and his tough-looking Lairon!" The crowd cheers and applauds. "Next, we have Darius and his Hitmonchan!" More applause. "Crono, and his Mawile!" More applause, along with some confused murmuring. "And finally, here is the newest contestant, chosen by Theodesius Prentis Giggleswick, the Third himself! Jess and her Mightyena!" The crowd cheers and roars with applause. Apparently, having Theo's name attached to yours drives these people wild.

We line up next to each other with our Pokémon. "Now, without much further ado, let the voting begin! You, the audience, will look at these four Pokémon and decide on which one looks the toughest! Please use the console attached to your seat to cast your vote!"

The audience all grab little controllers attached to their seats and start pushing buttons. The announcer continues. "Who has the toughest Pokémon? Is it Chuck and his hard-hitting steel Lairon? Perhaps Darius and the lightning punches of his Hitmonchan? Crono and the tooth-filled jaw of Mawile? Jess and the vicious bite of her Mightyena? The choice is yours!"

The audience continue to push the buttons, talking amongst themselves. At last, all the controllers are replaced and the crowd simmers down. The announcer taps a button on the podium and a big flashy board lowers behind us. "At last, the votes are in!" he says. "Who has the toughest Pokémon? The audience has decided!"

Behind us, the board lights up, and pictures of our Pokémon appear with bars next to them. The bars begin to fill up. The first bar to stop filling up is Jaws', who appears to have gotten the least votes. Jaws frowns. "Hey, it's okay, I say. "I know you're tough, even if you don't look like it." This seems to cheer him up.

Hitmonchan's bar stops next. Darius just kind of shrugs. Lairon's bar then stops for second place, and finally, Mightyena stops, the bar nearly full. "Whoa, look at that!" the announcer shouts. "We have the winner of our first round! Jess and her Mightyena!" The crowd applauses and cheers. "And now, our contestants will perform for the judges. It takes more than just looking tough. You have to also BE tough to win in this contest! Show us those tough moves and be the contest champion!"

The judges walk on stage and take their places. The crowd continues to cheer as the announcer moves to the front center of the stage. He raises his hand. "And now, let the performances begin!"

"Go Lairon! Use Iron Head!" Chuck says. Lairon runs out to the stage. She lowers her head and pounces forward, thrusting her head out toward the audience. Many oohs and ahhs resound from the crowd, and the judges nod, pleased.

"Mightyena, use Scary Face!" Jess commands. Mightyena leaps next to Lairon and glares angrily at the audience and Lairon. Lairon jumps back, startled, and lets out a slight whimper. The judges look at each other, then back at Mightyena, and scribble some notes.

Darius points his finger. "Bullet Punch!" he says. Hitmonchan smirks and disappears. He reappears next to the judges, thrusting a powerful fist past them. One of the judges' hair gets blown back as the wind from Hitmonchan's lightning fast punch flies past them. She looks very impressed and scribbles some notes. The crowd cheers.

"All right, Jaws!" I say. "Do your best! Stockpile!" Jaws grins and joins the rest. He pulls a pizza out of nowhere and the crowd resounds with awe. Jaws tosses up the pizza and chomps down on it with his massive jaw. He glows slightly and the judges scribble some notes.

"What an amazing first round!" the announcer shouts. "These Pokémon are giving it their all!"

"Fire Punch!" Darius shouts. Hitmonchan pulls his fist back. It engulfs in flames and he lashes out with it. I feel the heat of the fiery fist as he jabs it out. The crowd cheers.

"Iron Defense!" Chuck orders. Lairon hunkers down and her steel hide hardens. The metallic shimmer from her hide seems to fail to impress the judges, but the Pokémon seems more confident.

"Okay, Jaws, how about Brick Break!" I say. Jaws plants his feet firmly on the ground, pulls both his fists back, then thrusts both fists out while simultaneously slamming his massive jaw into the floor in front of him. The crowd applauds, and while two of the judges nod in approval, one looks skeptical and unimpressed.

"Now Mightyena!" Jess says. "Use Take Down!" Mightyena leaps back, then charges toward the crowd. He simulates slamming into an opponent as hard as he could and the crowd erupts in cheers. The judges look fully impressed, nodding and clapping.

"Amazing!" the announcer shouts. "These are some amazingly tough Pokémon! What other surprised will they throw out at us?!"

My turn comes again, so I decide to really let the crowd have it. I point my finger at Jaws and shout "Okay, Jaws! Let's show them the most shocking move of all!" Jaws nods, knowing which move I am referring to, and leaps to the front of the stage, in front of all the other Pokémon. The judges look surprised at Jaws' abrupt move. Jaws swings his massive jaw around, having it face the judges, and begins to shudder. The judges lean forward with curiosity and watch with intrigue. Jaws shudders violently and at last, launches a large wad of sticky vomit. The blob flies through the air and slams into the podium of the middle judge. It splatters, showering the judges with chunks of pizza and other various partially-digested food, with a majority of the blob sticking to the podium. The entire room falls silent and for a moment, I think I had gone deaf. The female judge removes her glasses, wipes a chunk of vomit off her cheek, and flings it away, and she glares at me as she replaces her glasses. At last, the silence ends and the entire room erupts in applause and cheers. The other two judges applaud as well, but the female does not budge, clearly unamused.

After showcasing many more moves, the announcer at last declares the end of the contest. "And now, the moment we've all been waiting for!" he shouts. "The judges will tally up your votes along with their scores and determine the winner! Who here has the toughest Pokémon? We will find out in just a moment!"

The judges talk amongst themselves for a minute, scribbling notes and murmuring. At last, all three stand and walk up to the announcer. The female judge hands him an envelope. She leans into the microphone and says "All these Pokémon did very well, but the winner was clear." She then leads the other two judges off stage.

The announcer takes center stage and raises the envelope. "You heard it, folks!" the announcer says. "All these Pokémon have left the judges impressed, but only one can be the winner! Without further ado, the winner is…" The announcer rips into the envelope and reads the notecard inside. "…Jess and her Mightyena!" The crowd stands up and cheers.

"Haha, damn right I'm the toughest up here!" Jess says, arms crossed. Mightyena lets out a loud bark.

"Congratulations to our new star, handpicked by Theodesius himself!" the announcer says. "Thank you for coming, everyone! And remember; someday YOU could be the next rising star!" The crowd begins to spill out of the theatre, chattering loudly. Chuck sulks off stage with his Lairon, while the rest of us congratulate Jess. She grins and we all walk off stage.

Theo greets us in the lobby. "Darling!" he says pompously. "I was spot on, was I not? You certainly stole the show. Marvelous! Absolutely marvelous!"

Jess frowns at Theo. Clearly, she did not want to see the guy again, and quite frankly, I do not blame her. The guy is pretty obnoxious. "Yeah yeah," she says. "Now what's this about being showered with prizes?"

"Oh yes, absolutely deserved!" Theo says. "Here you are! A precious ribbon for your achievement! Isn't it positively ravishing?"

Jess takes the ribbon and looks at it. She clenches it in her fist and scowls at Theo. "What kind of lousy prize is this?" she growls. She tosses it to Mightyena, who catches it, starts chewing on it and shakes it around. "Do I look like the sort of girl that wears ribbons? Where's the loot?!"

"Now now, love, in time," Theo says. "It takes more than a single show to acquire fans, unless you're me, of course. In time, you'll generate a fan base that will shower you in gifts!"

"HA!" Jess laughs at him. "There's no way I'm getting back on that stage just to win a bunch of crummy ribbons!" Jess grabs Darius' hand and pulls him with her. "Come on, Kalos Boys, let's beat it!" She storms away, dragging a stunned Darius behind her.

"I'm not from Kalos!" I say. I look at Theo. "I'm really not."

Theo looks down at me from above his disgustingly perfect nose. "Mmm, riiight…" He twirls on his heel and walks away, heels clacking on the floor.

I look at Jaws, who smiles at me. I reach down, pick him up, and give him a big hug. "You did great out there," I say. "The look on the judges' faces when you used Spit Up was priceless!" Jaws raises his arms and makes a surprised look that is actually pretty close to the judges' looks. I laugh. From the looks of it, Jaws had a lot of fun and honestly, so did I. It was a new experience and I enjoyed it, but like Jess, it is not for me. It is certainly not what I am searching for. There is a whole new world out there for us to explore, and I know that one day, when the time comes, I will discover my purpose in life, and I will embrace it with my entire being. I just hope that when that day comes, the ones I care for will be there by my side.


	13. Chapter 13: Atonement

The midday sun beams down upon us as we walk down Route 110. The dirt road is overgrown in brush, and I am constantly picking the burs from my socks. Jaws seems to enjoy himself, every now and then finding an interesting Pokémon peeking its head from the tall grass. He finds a small yellow Pokémon that looks kind of like a Pikachu, but with blue ears and cheeks. It is sitting still, eating a berry, while Jaws tries to sneak up on it. He pounces, but the little Pokémon sees him and darts out of the way. Jaws chases after it, but the mini Pikachu zaps him with a startling bolt of electricity. Jaws gets knocked back and the Pokémon darts away. Jaws shakes his head and stands up. I laugh and hope he learns his lesson when messing with electric rodents.

Darius looks around in awe, seeing many new species he has yet to see. He mentions that he has recognized some, like the little yellow Pokémon Jaws tried messing with (he says it is called a Minun, and has a red counterpart named Plusle), and there are some he has not seen, like the white and blue birds diving into the nearby water. Jess says they are called Wingull and it evolves into a large-billed Pelipper. She says many traveling trainers like to keep Pelipper with them to help catch lots of fish.

Up ahead, a large looming high-rise rises above us. I look up and it appears to be a man-made road high above the grass and water. Just ahead, I see a building that appears to lead to the road. I point to it. "Hey, what do you say we take that road up there?" I suggest. "It would be nice to get out of this unkempt path."

Jess looks at it in awe. "I was wondering when this would get finished," she says. "When I left, they announced the beginning of construction on a bicycle path. This must be it!"

"Huh, a bike path," I say. "I wonder if we can walk along it."

Darius shrugs. "We can always ask," he says.

Jess shakes her head. "I doubt it," she says. "It's meant for bicycles."

"Bah, let's go anyway!" Darius says, and he starts running toward the building.

"He sure perked up when we got here," I say.

Jess nods. "Yeah, I think this is exactly what he needed after his loss…"

I look down, her words a painful reminder of what went on mere days ago. I know he has not forgotten, and his loss causes him tremendous pain. I have seen Darius staring out at the ocean in the middle of the night during our trip, alone. I felt like going up to him, give him some company, let him know that we are here for him, but I let him have his space. He has been through a lot, and when you lose someone close to you, sometimes the best medicine is some solitude.

We follow Darius into the building, where we see Darius arguing with a lady at the gate. "What do you mean it's for bicycles only?" he grumbles.

"I mean…" the lady says, looking annoyed. "…only those on bicycles can enter! It is a bike road, not a foot road!"

"So there are no sidewalks or anything? Nothing?!" Darius complains.

"No sir, no sidewalks!" the lady says.

Darius sighs. "Fine!" He stomps past us, fuming.

I look at the lady. "I'm sorry," I apologize. "He's had a rough week."

The flustered lady nods at me. "It's okay, I've dealt with worse."

We follow Darius outside and find him kicking at some grass. I walk over and place a hand on his shoulder. He spins around and faces me, but when he sees me, he visibly relaxes. "Are you okay?" I ask.

Darius takes a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine," he says.

"Hey," I say in my gentlest voice. "If you ever need anyone to talk you, we're here for you. You know that, right?"

Darius nods. "I know. Thank you."

"Let's go, bud," I say. "Let's go find us an adventure!"

Darius perks up and grins. "Yeah!" he says, clenching his fist. "I gotta find that disaster Pokémon!"

The four of us continue down the path, past the Cycling Road building. Further ahead, we see a house where the road split. The sign reads "Trick House", followed by another that reads "I have gone to distant lands in search of new tricks! -Trick Master". The place looks like a normal house, and I am curious what is inside. Too bad it is closed.

The path split here and I wonder which way to go. The path to the right goes under Cycling Road and then heads north. The left leads to another road, where a sign reads "Route 103". The sign also has something scribbled near the bottom. I get closer to inspect the graffiti, and notice it reads "Team Aqua Rulez!" I glance back at Jess and raise an eyebrow. She scratches the back of her head and blushes slightly. "Hey, I was young…" she mumbles.

"So which way should we go?" Darius asks.

Jess thinks. "If I remember correctly, the right path will lead straight to Mauville. Route 103 will lead to Oldale Town, then Petalburg City, and finally Rustboro."

"Hmm…" I think about our decision. "Well, if the two possibilities for the Global Trade Terminal are Mauville and Rustboro, then we might as well head toward Mauville and check there first."

Darius nods. "Makes sense," he says, "but this path is rough. What do you say we use our Pokémon to bypass it and swim through the water?"

Jess shakes her head. "My Wailord is way too big to swim through here, so unless you have enough Water-types big enough to carry all of us, that won't happen."

Darius scratches his chin. "Then let's fly," he says. "I've got Talonflame, and Crono can ride with you on Articuno."

Jess sighs and shakes her head. "No," she says again. "Too many people around. There's a reason I always ducked down somewhere before jumping on Articuno's back. I REALLY don't need the attention."

Darius grumbles. "Well, I suppose we COULD just trudge through this obnoxious brush…"

I pat Darius on the shoulder as I walk by. "We'll be all right," I say. "Let's head to Mauville."

I walk toward the right path, when I see Jaws dashing through the grass up ahead. The grass rustles and the shrieks of another Pokémon sound out. It sounds like Jaws is tormenting another wild Pokémon, and the next moment, I am proven right. A small green quadruped Pokémon with a yellow stripe leaps out of the bushes, looking scared. Jaws leaps out with a big grin on his face, chasing the poor little Pokémon around. The green Pokémon runs around us a couple times, then darts behind Jess' legs. Jaws stops and stares at the Pokémon. I point my finger at Jaws. "Hey, stop that!" Jaws looks up at me, confused. I frown. "You're tormenting the poor little guy. It's scared!"

Jaws looks back at the shivering Pokémon and looks solemn. Jess steps back over the Pokémon, but it darts back behind her legs. "Hey!" Jess says.

"Aww, I think it likes you," Darius says.

"As if!" Jess growls. "Come on, leave me alone!"

The timid Pokémon cowers behind Jess' legs. I kneel down and try to coax it out. "Hey, it's okay," I say soothingly. "He won't hurt you. He was just playing. He didn't mean to scare you, and he's sorry." I look back at Jaws. "Right, buddy?"

Jaws looks at the Pokémon and nods. It seems to have calmed down a bit, its shivering ceases. It cautiously steps through Jess' legs toward me, then stops and looks up at me. It then leaps up into Jess' arms, catching her off guard. "Wait, what?!" she says, surprised. The Pokémon nuzzles into her chest and whimpers slightly.

"Awww, look at that," I say. "Isn't that adorable?"

Darius grins. "Yep, it definitely likes you, Jess!"

Jess frowns, but then her face softens and she smiles slightly. "Well, it is kind of cute, and I always did want an Electrike."

"Then why not keep it?" I suggest. "It would make a nice addition to your team."

Jess takes it into her hands and holds it out in front of her. The Pokémon looks back at her with anticipation. Jess thinks for a moment, then nods. "I think I will," she says. She holds the Pokémon a little higher, takes a look, then sets it down. "Yep, it's a girl." I hear Darius stifle a laugh.

Jess pulls out a Great Ball and gently tosses it at Electrike. The ball pops open, pulls her in, and wobbles a few times. The classic audible click sounds and the ball is still. Jess picks it up and smiles. "I haven't caught a Pokémon since Articuno," she says. "I forgot how exciting it is!"

Darius smiles. "So, how did you get that Articuno?" he asks. "You never did tell us?"

"Hmm?" Jess nods. "Yeah, I suppose I could tell you. So there I was, knee-deep in…"

"Hey you!" a tough male voice calls out from further down the road. "The one dressed as a pirate!" We turn and see a guy dressed in a leather jacket and cargo pants. His head is shaved and he has an angry scowl. "You're part of Team Aqua, aren't you?"

Jess frowns. "Yeah, what of it?!"

The guy steps forward, his fist clenching a Pokéball tightly. He looks extremely pissed. "I have a bone to pick with you!"

Jess glares at the bald man in the leather jacket. His scowl, the vein protruding from his forehead, the white-knuckled grip on his Pokéball all points to the serious anger coursing through his body. He grits his teeth. "I'm taking you down, Team Aqua scum!"

Jess frowns. "What's your problem?" she asks.

"You are!" the guy says. "Team Aqua ruined my life! I want vengeance!"

Jess stares at the guy for a few seconds, then her face softens and she sighs. She looks back at us apologetically. "This was bound to happen," she says. "We did some bad things back then. Some people still hold a grudge. I'm sorry you guys have to see this. We're still trying to make things right."

We nod. "It's okay," I say. "We understand." Darius nods in agreement.

Jess looks back at the guy and starts walking toward him. The guy looks surprised and steps back. "Don't come any closer!" he growls. "I'll drop you right here!"

Jess puts on her friendliest face (which does not look all that friendly) and extends an open hand. "Please accept my apology," she says somewhat kindly. "I admit, Team Aqua did some awful things, but we have changed. We are fighting for the good of all now. We will help make the world a better place."

The guy grits his teeth. "Shut up!" he shouts. "I don't want to hear it!"

Jess steps closer and stands in front of the guy. The guy furrows his brow and does not budge. Jess holds her hand out, offering to shake. "Please accept my apology," she says. "Tell me how we have wronged you, and what we can do to make it right."

The guy looks at Jess' hand for a while, then scowls and slaps her hand away. "I used to be a Team Magma grunt!" he says. "Ever since you guys came along, Maxie has had a change of heart. No longer does he want to extend the land for people! Now he just wants to be a goody two-shoes. I didn't sign up for that!"

Jess frowns. "Ah, I see," she says. She grabs a Pokéball from her belt. "Well, in that case… you're done!"

The guy growls and throws his Pokéball. "Go Seviper!" he shouts. The ball opens and a long black serpent with long fangs and a bladed tail emerges. It slithers through the tall grass toward Jess. "Go sink your teeth into her!"

The Pokémon leaps from the grass. It flies at Jess with its fangs out, lashing out at her. Jess' eyes go wide from surprise. She sidesteps the attack and punches the Pokémon away. It flops to the ground, but quickly recovers. Jess growls. "So that is how you want to play, is it?!" Jess replaces the Pokéball she grabbed earlier and picks another one. "Fine! I don't care if people see this. In fact, I HOPE they watch, because this is what happens when you mess with Team Aqua!" She throws the Pokéball down. A beautiful melody erupts from the ball and her angelic Articuno rises in the air.

The guy gasps. "No way!" he exclaims.

"That's right!" Jess says. "You're so done! Articuno, use Ice Beam!"

Articuno spreads her wings. The air around her sparkles with specks of ice as an icy-blue orb forms from her beak. A powerful beam shoots from the orb and collides directly with Seviper. Seviper shrieks in pain its body becomes encased in ice. Quickly, the Pokémon is frozen solid. It topples over, stiff.

"Oh no!" the guy shouts. "Come on, Seviper! Break out of it!" The guy looks through his pockets, desperately searching for something. At last, he finds what he is looking for. It looks like a spray bottle of some sort, but does not look like a Potion of any kind. He starts to run over to his frozen Seviper, but Jess gives him no time to react.

"Now use Hurricane!" Jess commands. Articuno flaps her wings rapidly, whipping up a whirlwind. The wind beats upon all of us. Jaws clings to my leg to keep from being blown away, and Darius shields his face. The guy struggles against the wind to reach his Pokémon, but keeps getting pushed back. The wind swirls around Seviper, lifting it into the air. At last, the ice shatters, and Seviper is thrown into the water. The wind dissipates quickly.

"Seviper!" the guy cries. "Come back!" He pulls the unconscious Seviper back into its ball. He growls and reaches for another ball. "You've done it now. Now I'm REALLY pissed off!"

"Ooooh, I'm soooo scared!" Jess mocks the guy.

The ex-Magma member throws his ball down. A mountain emerges from the ball. "CAM-ERUPT!" bellows a deep voice. This new Pokémon is one I have never seen before. It is an orange quadruped with two volcano-like humps on its back. It has a somewhat vacant look on its face, but looks incredibly tough. I wonder how Jess' Articuno will fare against this new threat.

Jess looks a little surprised. This new Pokémon looks to be a Fire type, so given Articuno's Ice type, it gains an advantage. What will Jess do? She grits her teeth, but grins. She seems to be taking way too much pleasure in this fight. "Well now," she says. "Someone's been training. Since when did mere grunts get such strong Pokémon?"

"I've been training for this ever since you Aqua scum broke our great leader!" he shouts. "He had great ambition!"

"He still does," Jess says. "Team Aqua and Team Magma work together now for the bettering of all, humans and Pokémon alike. We both did some terrible things and we seek to make amends. Why not go back and help?"

"Never!" he growls. "I had dreams, dreams that were crushed when you guys came along! I'm putting an end to you guys! Camerupt, use Flamethrower! Burn her and her dumb bird!"

Jess grows angry. "Fine! Let's finish this! Articuno, use Mind Reader!"

Camerupt opens its mouth. Both volcanic humps smoke as a large stream of fire shoots toward Jess. Articuno swoops down in front of Jess, spreading her wings. Her eyes shine bright as it takes the full brunt of Camerupt's attack, protecting Jess from harm. Articuno looks injured, but she is not down. She took that attack like a champ!

"Use Eruption! Finish them off!" the guy shouts.

"Too slow!" Jess commands. "Sheer Cold!"

As smoke billows from Camerupt's humps, the air around us all turns frigid. Frost creeps along the grass and the surrounding water's surface. Articuno flaps her wings in Camerupt's direction just as magma spews forth. The frozen air swirls around Camerupt and the lava freezes solid mid-eruption. Camerupt flinches in the bitter cold and finally, succumbs to the brutal assault. Camerupt freezes solid, then instantly, the ice shatters, battering the poor Pokémon's body with ice shards. Camerupt collapses.

The guy stares, stunned. His knees shake and he sinks to the ground. He drops his head and weakly pulls Camerupt back into its ball. "Why…" he says.

Jess pulls Articuno back into her ball. Around us, and above on Cycling Road, several spectators have gathered to watch. Jess walks up to the guy and stands over him. She frowns, glaring at him. "The reason you lost is because you are selfish," she says. "Pokémon are more than just mere tools to get your way. They are our partners, our friends. We had to learn this the hard way. It seems you had to as well."

The guy grumbles, but does not say anything. Jess looks down at him. "You have nothing to say?" she asks. "Fine. Hope you learned something from this. Good day." She turns away and starts walking toward us.

The guy suddenly gets up. "I'll make you suffer!" he shouts, and charges Jess, fist pulled back. He throws a punch at the back of Jess' head.

"Jess, look out!" Darius and I both shout.

Jess swiftly dodges the punch, causing the guy to stumble past her. She grabs the guy by the back of his jacket and pulls him toward her. Surprised, he swings clumsily at her. She blocks the punch, grapples his arm under her own, and pulls downward, snapping his forearm in half. The guy screams in pain and drops to the ground. Jess towers over him. "Get up!" she growls. He merely whimpers, but this seems to make Jess angrier. "I said 'get up'!"

Darius runs up to her. "Hey, calm down," he says. "It's over. He's down." He places a hand on her shoulder. She turns sharply and slaps it away, but when she sees the shocked look on Darius' face, her face softens. She appears to snap out of her rage and realizes what she has done. She looks at Darius with a horrified look. "Hey… it's okay. I'm here." Tears well up in her eyes and she collapses into Darius' arms. He holds her close.

I kneel down by the guy. I look at Jaws. "Hey, go get a bunch of sticks, thick ones, as straight as possible." Jaws nods and runs off toward a nearby tree. I take my backpack off and open it up. Carefully, I take my egg out, the red and silver one Cole entrusted to me, and gently place it in the grass next to me. I then rifle through my bag for the medical tape I used for bandaging my burn. I pull out the roll, then gently take the guy's arm. "Let's get this jacket off," I say. He nods and pulls his uninjured arm out. He winces as I carefully help him get his broken arm out. I inspect his arm, and it appears to be a clean break. No bone is protruding from the flesh, but the bones are offset. It looks really painful.

"She… she broke it…" he whimpers.

I nod. "She sure did," I say. "I can't say you weren't asking for it, though. What's your name?"

"J… Jack," he says.

"All right, look Jack," I say. "The bone will need to be reseated. I'm not going to lie; this will be extremely painful. Are you ready for this?" Just as I say this, Jaws returns with an armful of good-looking sticks. He drops them on the ground next to me, then turns his attention to my egg.

Jack shakes his head. "No, don't," he says. "I don't think I can… AAAUUUGGHHH!" I reset the bone quickly while he speaks. He screams and writhes in pain. I try to get him to hold still as I grab the sticks and create a splint for his arm. Just as I finish, medical personnel arrive with a stretcher.

"Huh?" I look up to see three emergency medical technicians around us, along with two police officers. I stand up and step back as they tend to Jack. One technician looks at me and nods.

"Good splint," he says. "We'll take it from here." They carry him off on the stretcher toward Mauville.

The police officers surround Darius and Jess. "Excuse me, ma'am," one officer says. "We need to ask you a few questions."

Jess looks at Darius, then frowns at the cops. "I'm not going in!" she growls. "We're not criminals anymore!"

Darius looks at the officer. "Look, sir," he says. "All that happened was a Pokémon battle gone wrong. He kept trying to attack her with his Pokémon, and when that failed, he tried attacking her himself. She defended herself."

The police officer scribbles in his notebook and nods. "Yes, that matches up with the witness testimonies. We just needed to confirm. Also, ma'am," he says, as he removes his sunglasses. Jess seems to recognize him, judging by the look on her face. "The police are aware of the good Team Aqua has been doing around here. Your community service has been more than enough to atone for your crimes. You're free to go." He flashes her a smile, puts his sunglasses back on, and the two officers walk off.

Jess looks stunned. She looks back at Darius. Darius looks back. "Do you know him?" he asks.

Jess blushes slightly. "I… I may have rescued his daughter at some point…" she says. "Look, it's no big deal. Anyone would have done the same! I just happened to be there!"

Darius smiles. "You're a good person, Jess," he says. "Don't ever think otherwise."

Jess blushes again. "What are you talking about, Kalos Boy? Don't be getting all mushy on me!" She pushes him away. Darius laughs.

The crowd dissipates and we are left alone again. As I stand up, I feel Jaws tugging on my shorts. I look down. "What's up, buddy?" I ask. He points toward my egg. I look and notice the egg twitching. It wobbles around slightly and I hear scratching sounds. "Hey Darius, Jess!" I say. "Look!"

We gather around the egg. It wobbles and the scratching noises get louder. I kneel down to get a closer look. Finally, a giant crack stretches across the surface and it finally dawns on me; the egg is hatching!

Jaws stares in fascination as the egg jitters. The crack grows longer and spreads across the shell. I hear what sounds like the creature pounding against the shell. As we watch, the cracks spread further over the surface of the egg, until finally, a small hole pops open. We all peer inside eagerly. I can vaguely make out an eye peering back at us. Then a long cone pokes through the hole, seemingly trying to push through. I reach over to help break it free, but Darius grabs my hand.

"No wait," he says. "Don't. If this is what I think it is, you need to allow it to come out on its own."

"Huh?" I look at Darius, confused. "Why? What is it?"

"Just trust me," he says.

I nod and let the egg be. We watch the egg for quite some time. Time crawls by and eventually, Jess grows bored. Jaws loses interest next and curls up for a nap. As the egg hatches, we decide to set up camp for the time being and wait it out. Jaws snores away, while Darius and Jess fish together. I go to a nearby tree, carefully moving the egg with me, and build a small fire pit with some stones as I continue to watch. I gather some wood, place them within the fire pit, and start a fire. I then sit against the tree and continue monitoring the egg. As the sun creeps across the sky, I find myself struggling to keep my eyes open in the bright sunlight. The humidity, the warm sun, the still air, all tugs at my eyelids. I keep myself awake, though, not wanting to miss a moment of this. This gift from Cole, a friend lost, was entrusted to me and I refuse to let anything happen to it. I will tend and care for this Pokémon with all my being.

Darius brings over a few fish he and Jess pulled from the water. "Not much in these waters," he says, disappointed. "Just a few Magikarp and whatever the hell this thing is." He holds up a really ugly brown fish Pokémon with blue fins. It is quite shabby and pathetic.

Jess furrows her brow. "There was something about that Pokémon," Jess says. "I just can't remember what it is… Oh well!" Jess rams a spit through it and places it over the fire.

The Pokémon inside the egg continues to push its way out as we eat. After our meal, Darius takes a nap, while Jess works out, doing push-ups and sit-ups, while I sit against the tree wondering how Jess can do so many push-ups with those scrawny arms of hers. The sun begins to sink over the water, when at last, a head pokes out through the eggshell!

"Hey guys!" I shout. "It's almost out!"

Jess jumps to her feet and Darius sits up slowly, rubbing his eyes. "It's about time!" Jess says.

Jaws jumps down from the tree I am leaning against, covered in weird pink Weedle-like Pokémon. He shakes them off and they squirm away. We gather around the egg and observe the small head poking out. It is silver with a sharp beak and a horn on its head. It looks bird-like, which excites me. Hopefully, this means I can fly on my own soon!

"Skaaa!" it squawks.

"Awww, it's cute!" I say.

"It sure is!" Darius agrees.

"If you say so…" Jess says with a raised eyebrow.

The small Pokémon looks around, then at me. It then closes its eyes, like it is straining, and finally, the egg shatters apart. The little baby spreads its red wings breaking apart the shell, then steps out with its sharp talons. It looks back up at me and squawks. "Skaa!"

I reach down to pick up the baby, but Darius stops me. "Not yet," he says. "Let it be for now."

I furrow my brow at him, but then I realize why. The baby's wings look injured! Scratches and gashes cover the little baby's wings. The baby seems unfazed, though, and it picks at its wings. I look up at Darius. "What's wrong with it?" I ask.

"Nothing," Darius explains. "It's normal for Skarmory to emerge from its eggs with injured wings like that. The shell is as hard as steel, and when it breaks apart, becomes razor sharp. Pushing its way out causes many cuts to the baby's wings, which eventually heal over into a hardened steel-like hide. That is why I told you not to help it out. Had you done so, the Skarmory's wings would never get that steel hide and would be handicapped for its whole life. I've seen it happen a few times…" Darius lowers his head.

I nod. "Thank you for telling me," I say. "I have a lot to learn."

"That's what I'm here for," he says. "After all, you are my student!"

I laugh. I almost forgot about that. When we first met, he told me he wants to start a school for aspiring trainers, after he becomes Champion. I had joked about being his first student, but he took it to heart and I decided to go along with it. I need to learn anyway, so it works out.

"We should hurry to Mauville," Jess says. "It's getting dark."

I look around. "Agreed." I stoop down and hold both hands out. The baby Skarmory looks up at me, then hops into my hands. It feels about as heavy as Jaws right now. I lift it up and smile. "Hello, there," I say. "My name is Crono. It's nice to meet you!"

"Ska!" it chirps.

I look it over, then frown. "Hey Darius," I say. "How can you tell the sex of a bird?"

Darius looks it over. After a minute, Darius nods. "It's a boy!"

"Really?" I ask. "How can you tell?"

"It's complicated," Darius says cryptically. I do not believe him.

"So, shall we get going?" Jess asks.

I nod, lifting the Pokémon to my shoulder. He grips my shoulder tightly, digging his talons into my skin. I look up at it and smile. It is small now, but certainly it will grow. I find myself wondering how long until it is fully size? I make a mental note to ask Darius later.

We head down the road toward Mauville. As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, several Oddish pop out of the ground and run to the water's edge. They look up to the sky at the crescent moon. Their leaves sparkle at they absorb the moonlight. They chitter happily with each other. I smile as I watch them interact with each other. I find myself fascinated with their behavior, a solid reminder of just how alive this world is. These creature, these Pokémon, share this world with us. We have come to depend on them, just as many have come to depend on us. We live in mostly harmony with them, though there are some bad seeds among both us and them. As I watch the Oddish run past us together, disappearing into the tall grass, I find myself coming to a realization of what I want to do in life. It is just an idea for now, something I will ponder on as we continue this journey.

At last, we arrive at the main gate to Mauville. It appears to be one giant indoor city, the first I have ever seen. The doors open automatically and we walk inside. I gasp in awe as the entire city stretches before me. This is not a city; it is more like a super megamall! This place puts Goldenrod's department store to shame! As far as my eyes can see, businesses stretched ahead of us, lining the walls. Stores selling all kinds of goods; food, clothing, relics, trinkets, mirrors, bicycles, so much to see and do. There is even a movie theater, a bowling alley, and a roller rink. The place is fascinating!

"Wow, this place sure grew!" Jess exclaims. "Watson sure put in a lot of work!"

"This isn't a city," Darius says. "It's a mall! Where are all the homes?"

"The plans were to put all the homes on the upper floors," Jess explains. "I'm sure they're all up there."

We walk through the mall-like city, looking at the different shops. Jaws spots something and runs up to a window. As he peers through, he begins to drool all over the floor. I look as well, and begin drooling myself. It is a ramen shop, and the aroma coming through the door as people enter and leave excites my olfactory system. I look back at Darius and Jess and grin. "Let's eat here!" I say.

Darius and Jess look at each other and shrug. "Sure, why not?" Darius says.

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry," Jess says.

"Ska!" chirps Skarmory.

I open the door and the four of us walk inside. The place is semi-busy, with many people ordering and eating. The cooks skillfully cook the food their customers order in full view of everyone. It is very entertaining to watch them prepare the food.

"Wow, this place looks awesome!" I say, feeling a rush of excitement. I begin to salivate even more.

"Let's get in line then," Darius says.

We get in line, Jaws hopping excitedly and Skarmory squawking in my ear. I calmly hush Skarmory. I pull a couple Sitrus berries out of my bag and feed them to him. Skarmory eats them happily. As the line shortens, at last, we reach the counter. The clerk smiles at me. "May I take your order?" he asks.

"Ah, yes, I would like your…" I start to order, but the clerk interrupts me.

"Excuse me," the clerk says. "We refuse to serve your kind."

"Huh?" I furrow my brow. "What do you mean 'your kind'?"

"I mean her!" the clerk says angrily, pointing at Jess.

We look at Jess, who just sighs. I turn back to the clerk. "She's fine, she's with us," I assure.

"No Team Aqua!" the clerk says. "Now get out!"

Jess shrugs. "It's fine, I'm used to this," she says. "I'll just wait outside."

"No, you won't!" I say. "If she doesn't eat, then we don't eat!" Darius stands next to Jess and nods. Jaws looks at each of us, then at the clerk and nods.

The clerk glares angrily at us, and is backed up by the cooks. "Very well then," he says. "A friend of Team Aqua is no friend of ours. Get out!"

I glare hard at the clerk. "Let's go, guys," I say. The three of us turn and walk toward the door. Jaws spits is tongue at the clerk and follows us.

After we exit, Jess sighs. "I'm sorry, guys," she says. "Maybe you're right. I should lose this stupid pirate outfit."

Darius places a hand on her shoulder. "No, wear what you like," he says. "If they have a problem with it, it's their problem. We understand what you're trying to do. Keep up the good work."

Jess looks at Darius and smiles. "Thanks," she says.

A loud crash erupts from within the ramen shop. People scream and I hear a loud roar. Someone with a very gruff voice shouts angrily. I pull the door open and see five people clad in leather; two girls and three guys. I also see a very large grey and silver titan standing in the middle of the shop. It has a long thick tail, stands on two legs, and has two very sharp horns protruding from its head. It looks dangerous and very powerful!

"Do you really expect us to pay for this slop?!" the lead guy shouts. "Do you know who we are?"

The clerk looks frightened, but stands his ground. "Sir, calm down and get your Pokémon back in its ball."

The guy looks sarcastically surprised. "Did… did you just tell me what to do?" he asks. He looks at his buddies. "Hey guys, the ramen guy isn't scared of us!" He glares back at the clerk. "Let's change that."

I look at Darius, who looks back at me and nods. I look at Jaws, who's fists are balled and ready for action. Darius and I glance back at Jess, who has a vicious grin on her face.

"Let's take them out!" she growls.

Jess grabs one of her Pokéballs. Darius follows suit, while Jaws prepares himself. "Hey losers!" Jess shouts.

The thug with the titanic Pokémon looks over at us. He frowns. "What did you say?" he asks.

We square off with the gang. All five of them glare angrily at us, Pokéballs in hand. I look around and assess the situation. They outnumber us by two, and if the leader has a powerful looking Pokémon such as this behemoth, who knows what the others have. The shop is small too, with little room to maneuver, not to mention the several customers whose lives are at risk. "We need to defuse the situation," I mutter to Darius and Jess. "This is too small an area for a battle."

A big guy with a beard comes out from behind the counter. "Hey!" he shouts. "No battles in my shop! Get out!"

The gang leader points his finger at the bearded man. "Shut your mouth!" he growls. "You should have thought about that before serving us this inedible slop!"

"'Inedible…!'" the man says. "How dare you…"

The leader looks at us. "You think you children can take on all of us?" he says cockily. The titan roars loudly, echoing off the walls. "My Aggron alone can take you three out… wait. Where's the girl?!" He looks around, only to find a fist flying to his face. He screams in pain as his nose erupts blood. He stumbles back, dropping his Pokéball. Jess quickly scoops up the ball and pulls the Aggron back in. The rest of the gang swarm her. Darius, Jaws, and I rush in. The bearded man sees the opportunity and leaps over the counter to join the fight. Jess tackles the gang leader, mounting his chest, and she unleashes a brutal series of blows to his clearly broken nose. Darius takes on one of the guys, grabbing his arm before he can throw his Pokéball. He swings him around and slams him into the wall. The two exchange blows. The bearded man grabs the third guy with a surprise Ursaring hug, lifting him off the floor. The guy growls, struggling to free himself from the man's grip. The two girls come after me. I hesitate, uneasy about hitting these girls, but they do not seem concerned. I am not much of a fighter, but I can perhaps distract them long enough until Jess can come knock them out. "Skarmory," I whisper. "Go fly somewhere safe!"

"Skaaa!" Skarmory flaps his little wings and flitters onto a light fixture.

Jaws runs past me. He leaps up and bites into one of the girl's pigtails. She yelps and tries to pull herself free, but he locks on and refuses to let go. He pulls on her hair and drags her around the shop. The other girl grabs one of her Pokéballs. "You're a vile boy, to make a Pokémon attack a person!" She tosses her Pokéball out, but I run toward it and catch it before it hits the ground. The girl's eyes go wide. "What?! Give that back!"

I shake my head and pocket the ball. "Come get it!" I taunt her. She growls and charges after me. She throws a punch. I block it with my face and stumble backward. She comes at me with another punch. I drop to the floor just before she hits me. I sweep my legs out and trip her, causing her to fall backward. I then quickly tie her shoelaces together and scramble to my feet. As she tries to get up, she stumbles. I back away, pointing and laughing at her. She growls and pulls her shoes off. I frown, but just as she pulls the second one off, Jess slams into her, shoulder first. The girl yelps and crashes into a table. Jess then picks her up off the floor and throws her into the gang leader, who is struggling to get back on his feet. The two collide and roll out of the shop door. Darius pushes his guy toward the door, the guy's arm locked behind his back, and throws him out, followed by Jaws pulling the girl by the pigtails. Finally, the bearded man carries his guy out, tossing him onto the growing pile of beaten thugs. He dusts his hands off. "Stay out of my shop!" he says. The thugs scramble to their feet and slink off, licking their wounds.

I take a deep breath. That could have been a lot worse, but thanks to Jess' quick actions, we managed to avoid damaging the shop much. I walk over to pick up the pieces of the table, when the bearded man addresses us. "You three!" he bellows. I look over and he is glaring at us with his arms crossed. He looks very angry.

Jess stands her ground, glaring right back. Darius stands next to her, backing her up. I continue picking up the pieces of the table, not caring what the guy has to say. Jess speaks first. "Yeah, yeah," she says. "I'm leaving!" She waves her hand as she walks past the guy.

The guy grabs her hand as she waves it, shocking her. He glares at her, then his face breaks into a smile. He grips her hand and gives it a strong, hearty shake. "Thank you!" he bellows happily. "We sure showed them!"

"Uh…" Jess hesitates, like she is unsure how to respond to praise. "Yeah… yeah we did!"

The bearded man slaps her on the back. "It's unusual seeing a member of Team Aqua helping anyone," he says. "The name is Hiro! You are welcome in my shop any time!"

Jess nods. "Thank you," she says. "You know, Team Aqua isn't bad."

Hiro stops. He stares off in the distance for a several seconds, then he takes a deep breath and looks at her. "That was not my experience," he says.

Jess looks down. "Well, yeah, we did do some bad things," she admits, "but we're good now. We are trying to help people."

Hiro frowns. "It will be hard to accept that," he says. "After all, they hurt my daughter."

Jess looks somber. "I'm sorry that happened," she says sincerely. "We thought what we were doing was for the greater good. I'm not trying to make excuses though. Please, tell me what happened, and tell me how I can make it up to you."

Hiro looks at her with piercing eyes. "My daughter, Ai. She caught her first Pokémon when she was five. It was just a Poochyena, nothing special, but to her, he was the world. She took him everywhere; to school, to the playground, even to bed. They were inseparable, or so they thought. She came home one day, her dress tattered with dirt and leaves. She was in tears. I asked her what happened. She said some teenage girl in a Team Aqua outfit stole Poochyena from her. Pushed her into the bushes and took the ball. She was heartbroken. It pained me to see my little girl so depressed."

Jess stares at the floor. She looks deep in thought. Darius places a hand upon her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asks.

Hiro continues. "She eventually got over it, but for several months, I thought I would never see her smile again. She ended up catching another Pokémon, and I can see my little girl's beautiful smile every day. But I never forgave Team Aqua." He looks at Jess. "Not until now."

A tear rolls down Jess' cheek. In her hand, she clutches a Pokéball. She shrugs off Darius' hand and walks up to Hiro. She looks at him, and after a moment of hesitation, she holds out the Pokéball. Hiro looks at the ball with surprise. "Wha… what is this?" he asks.

Jess' hand shakes, but she keeps the ball held out. "It's… it's Ai's," she says, trying to swallow her emotions. "I… I'm the one who took it. I was young, I was desperate to join Team Aqua, and I did a terrible thing."

Hiro looks at Jess, bewilderment in his eyes. He slowly reaches for the ball and gently takes it. "This is my little girl's Poochyena?" he asks.

Jess nods. "He's evolved now," she says. "He is quite strong and has been a loyal companion; but he's not mine. As hard as it is, it's only right to give him back, and… I'm sorry."

Darius and I look at each other with surprise. I knew Jess did some bad things, but to steal from a child? That is pretty low, but now here she stands, full of remorse, repenting for her crime. I feel she is truly sincere, and despite the despicable crime, I feel she deserves forgiveness. I just hope Hiro feels the same.

Hiro stares at the ball, eyes wide. I can see the emotions swirl through his eyes. He remains silent for what feels like an eternity, and for a moment, I believe he would lash out. However, at last, he closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and when he opens his eyes, he looks at Jess and smiles. He hands the ball back to Jess. Jess' eyes widen with surprise. "What is your name?" he asks.

"It's Jess," she says.

Hiro looks into her eyes. "I forgive you," he says. "Please, keep him, and continue to take good care of him."

Jess nods. "Yes, sir, I will."

"Good!" Hiro bellows. "Now eat! On the house! You earned it!"

We grin and sit at a table. I call out to Skarmory, who flitters down from the light fixture back onto my shoulder. Hiro brings out four massive bowls of ramen on a tray. He happily places them on the table before us. "Eat up!" he says. We thank him and dig into our ramen. The noodles are soft, the broth is rich and salty, and the egg is delicious. Jaws slurps his up happily and when he finished, he sits back, rubbing his tummy with a large grin on his face. I let Skarmory try a noodle. He munches on it and squawks excitedly. As we finish up, Hiro comes back out to collect our dishes. "So how was it?" he asks.

"Amazing!" I say. "Thank you!"

"Divine!" Jess says.

"I've had better," Darius says, shrugging. I swiftly kick him in the shin. "Ouch! I'm kidding! It was delicious!"

Hiro laughs. "Excellent! Please come again! You're welcome here anytime!" He scoops up the dishes.

"Excuse me, Hiro," I say. "Would you happen to know where the Global Trade Terminal is?"

"The GTS?" he asks. "Why, it's everywhere!" When he sees my confused look, he elaborates. "The GTS was implemented in every Pokémon Center PC. Just like Wonder Trade, the GTS can be accessed through the PC."

"Oh…" This certainly makes things difficult. That means Jaws could have come from literally anywhere in Hoenn! I was hoping to narrow it down more than that. This will take longer than I thought. "Well, thank you. We'll be going now."

"You guys take care out there," Hiro says. "And again, thank you."

We get up and head outside. As we walk out, heading toward the city's east exit, I realize I still have that thug girl's Pokéball. I take it out, looking at it and wondering what I should do with it. I would like to return it, but at the same time, she probably does not treat it very well. As I contemplate this moral dilemma, Darius asks "Which Pokémon is that?"

I shake my head. "I don't know," I say. "It belongs to that thug girl."

"How did you get it?" he asked.

"I snatched it as she threw it," I explain. "I don't know what to do with it, though."

"She doesn't deserve to have it back," he says. "I say keep it."

Jess interrupts. "Honestly, I would say give it back, but at the same time, she probably mistreats it. Perhaps release it?"

I ponder this, then make my decision. "I think I'll release it," I say. "If it has been mistreated, it will be mistrusting of us anyway, and might hurt one of us. It will be better off in the wild."

We walk out the east exit of the city and toward the trees. Once we reach the small wood, I open the Pokéball and release the creature. A white furry quadruped with a curved black horn leaps out. It quickly runs to a boulder, leaps on top, then turns and hisses at us. Its claws dig into the rock. Darius' eyes go wide. "That's it! That's the one!"

"What?" I look at him, eyebrow raised.

"That's the Pokémon I came here for!" he says.

"That's an Absol," Jess says. "It's called 'The Disaster Pokémon', and for good reason. Seeing one is considered a bad omen because catastrophe tends to follow them around."

"Exactly!" Darius shouts. "That's why I want one! A Pokémon with that kind of reputation must be strong! I'll become Champion for sure! Quick, give me that ball!" Darius tries to snatch the ball from my hand.

"Whoa, hey, no!" I say. "We're letting it go."

"No no no, I need it! I'll take good care of it, you know I will! Just give me that ball!" Darius grabs my arm and tries to wrestle the ball from me. Skarmory flaps his wings wildly, squawking in my ear.

Jess walks over and grabs Darius by the ear. He groans in pain as Jess pulls him away from me. "Look, Kalos Boy!" she says. "It's already gone! It clearly wanted nothing to do with us."

Darius squirms free from Jess' grip, looks at the boulder, and sighs. "Oh fine," he grumbles. "I'll find my own."

I toss the Pokéball in a nearby trash can. "Well, which way, you guys?" I ask.

"How about Mossdeep City?" Jess suggests. "I think you would love the Space Center."

"How about we go find that Absol?" Darius grumbles.

"I think Mossdeep City would be grand," I say. "Which way do we go?"

Jess pulls out a paper map of Hoenn out of her satchel. She looks it over, then points north-east. "It's in that direction, but there are two paths there," she explains. "We can head north to Fortree City, then to Lilycove, or we can head east. The east route is shorter, but we have to go by Mount Pyre. It is the cemetery of Hoenn and thought to be quite haunted."

I think for a moment, looking at the map. "Let's take the shorter route," I say. "According to this map, we don't have to actually to Mount Pyre, we can just go around."

"I don't see why we can't just fly there," Darius grumbles, still obviously upset over releasing that Absol.

Jess' eyes widen. "Yeah… why can't we fly there?" Jess grins and pulls out her Articuno's ball. She releases it and hops on. "Come on, Crono."

Darius looks at Jess, stunned. "I was just being grumpy, but yeah, why are we walking at all?" He releases Talonflame and jumps on her back.

I look at Jaws. "Do you mind going in your ball, buddy?" I ask. "It'll help us find your home faster." Jaws looks solemn, but nods. As I pull him into his Luxury Ball, I cannot help but wonder if he looked solemn over needing to go into his ball or me mentioning home. I pocket his ball and jump on Articuno with Jess. I carefully pick Skarmory off my shoulder and tuck him into my jacket. He squawks softly, then curls up inside my jacket to nap.

"We'll stop at Lilycove for a rest, then head on to Mossdeep," Jess says.

Darius nods in agreement. "Lead the way!"

As we take off, I decide to ask Jess about the reputation of that Pokémon Darius wants so much. "So why is Absol considered the 'Disaster Pokémon'?"

Jess glances back at me. "There aren't many around Hoenn these days," she explains. "The ones that do exist tend to stay secluded in the mountains. They are rarely seen by people, but when they are spotted, disaster follows shortly after. Some say that Absol doesn't cause the disasters, that it is merely trying to warn us."

"What do you think?" I ask.

"I don't know," she says. "All I know is that last time I saw one, it was right before we unleashed the Primal Pokémon upon Hoenn…"

I contemplate what Jess told me. I have never been the superstitious type, disregarding anything considered supernatural. Ghosts (not the type, but an actual dead spirit), clairvoyance, aliens; things like that never really struck me as true. To me, most things like that have some scientific explanation. After this adventure, though, I have seen some things that has made me question what I thought I knew. Sabrina, for one, really did seem to have psychic powers. There was also the Unown and their story of Creation. Things I once thought were false are being proven to be a reality. We have been through so much already, it makes me wonder; if Absol really is the bringer of disaster, then what does it have in store for us?


	14. Chapter 14: A Dream Revelation

Mount Pyre looms over the horizon in the distance. A flock of blue and white birds flies under us. Jess says they are Wingull, and goes on to say that she had one at one point until it got struck by lightning during a storm when they summoned Kyogre. She buried it at Mount Pyre. I ask her if she would like to stop, but she says she did not feel much attachment to it. As we get closer, I feel an ominous presence emanating from the mountain. The hair on my arms stand on end and I feel prickles on the back of my neck. It is a feeling I have not felt since first entering the Ruins of Alph. The sensation brings back a flood of memories and emotions, both good and bad.

Jess turns Articuno sharply before reaching the mountain. Skarmory squawks with surprise from within my jacket, jostled from the sudden turn. I soothe the little bird, cooing softly as he drifts back into a slumber. I close my jacket back up and look out at the mountain. Up on the peak, staring at us, is a strangely familiar four-legged creature. The creature is silhouetted in the lowering sun, but the long curved horn on its head stands out. It looks just like the Absol from earlier! I think there is no way it could be the same one; we are pretty far from where we released it. I look up at Darius and call out to him. "Hey, buddy! There's another one of those Absols you want!" Darius keeps looking forward and does not react. He clearly does not hear me. I look back at the Absol, but it is gone. I get a weird feeling in my gut.

As we finally pass Mount Pyre, the area opens into scattered woods with a cleared path. Jess informs me that the path leads between Lilycove City, home of the Hoenn-famous department store, and Fortree City, where people actually make their homes inside massive trees. As awesome as that sounds, the sight that appears before us looks even better. A vast clearly sits within the surrounding trees, rife with lakes, streams, rolling hills, and even a small mountain. The area is huge, stretching well beyond the horizon.

"Hey, what is that?" I ask Jess.

"Oh, hey, that looks like the Hoenn Safari Zone," Jess says.

"Safari Zone?" I ask.

"It's a giant wildlife preserve to help protect endangered species," she explains. "When Mauville was constructed, it damaged the habitats of many Pokémon. The Pokémon were losing their homes and some species became endangered, so someone created the Safari Zone."

"A wildlife preserve, huh?" I think on this. The idea sounds amazing! A place where Pokémon can live in peace and harmony. No people, no trainers, no battles. The idea thrills me.

"Yep," Jess continues. "The park limits how many Pokémon trainers can catch to ensure none of the species go below a certain threshold."

"Oh…" There goes that dream. "Well, can we go see it?"

Jess looks back at me. She furrows her brow, then nods. "Sure, why not?" Jess puts two fingers in her mouth and whistles sharply. "HEY KALOS BOY! WE'RE LANDING!"

Darius looks back and gives us the thumbs up. Both Talonflame and Articuno dive for the ground below. Skarmory squawks to life from within my jacket as the sudden dive and starts flapping wildly. I soothe it as we swoop down and land gracefully near the entrance to the park. As we hop off Articuno, a few people gather around us, staring at Jess' bird in awe. Jess frowns and pulls Articuno into her bird. "Yeah, it's an Articuno! What of it?!" she yells at the people. The gawkers mutter to themselves as they disperse.

Darius pulls Talonflame back into her ball and joins us. I free Skarmory from his denim prison and allow him to perch onto my shoulder. I then release Jaws from his Luxury Ball. He pops out and jumps with joy. He looks up at me and smiles big, pleased to see me. I return the smile, my heart filled with joy. Every time I see his eyes light up as he smiles at me, I feel an intense happiness, followed by the sharp sting of sadness as I remember why we were on this journey in the first place. To find Jaws' home; oh, how I long to make my home his. I have been regretting my convictions for some time, wanting Jaws to stay with me. If he was put up for trade, the owner must not have really wanted him in the first place. Should I have just followed Professor Oak's advice and just kept him with me? Then again, had I done that, I would not have gotten to see the world like this. So many things have happened, so many things seen, so many questions answered, all thanks to Jaws. As much as it pains me, I decide to swallow my pride and desire, and hold true to my word. I promised to take him home, and I intend to keep my promise. Once there, he can decide what he does.

The four of us walk up to the entrance to the park. It is a small building surrounded by dense woods. As we enter, we are greeted by two park rangers, a guy and a girl. The guy tips his stetson. "Howdy!" he says cheerfully. "Gud day fer sum Pokémon wranglin'!"

I raise my eyebrow. His accent is so over-the-top, I cannot tell if it is authentic or for show. He grins at us, a blade of straw in his teeth. His hand rests on the lasso hanging from his belt. His unshaven stubble makes him look rugged, a man of the wild. "Ah reckon yer wanna enter?" he asks, his thick drawl scratching at my eardrums.

The girl, dressed in a clean denim jacket and shorts, with a ball cap, just rolls her eyes. She then looks at us and smiles. "It's free to enter," she says, "but be sure to only catch one of any given species. Other than that, please enjoy the park!"

"It's free now?" Jess asks, surprised.

The girl nods. "The Hoenn president really likes what we were doing here and provides all the funding we need to keep it going," the girl explains. "It's such a blessing to know that we can share this wonderful wildlife preserve with everyone!" She seems genuinely happy about it.

"I have a couple questions, if you don't mind," I say. She nods. "If this is a preserve, why do you allow people to catch Pokémon here?"

The girl smiles. "Good question!" she says, cheerfully. "It is a method of population control for us. We have limited space for this preserve, so allowing people to catch some helps keep the park from getting overpopulated. We also ensure nobody catches more than one of each species by having watch towers throughout the park, and we'll inspect your belongings before you leave."

I nod. "That sounds reasonable," I say.

The girl smiles. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah, I do!" Darius chimes in. "What kind of Pokémon do you have here?"

The guy grins at him. "Dat is a gud question, son!" he drawls. "We gots awl kindsa critters frum Kanto 'n' Johto, and sum Hoenn 'mons on da brink of extinction!"

Darius grits his teeth and nods. I can tell the guy's accent is grating on his ears too. The female ranger groans. "If there aren't any more questions, please, enjoy the park!"

"Thank you, ma'am," I say, and the four of us head out the opposite door. Behind us, I hear a loud smack, and a clearly male voice say "Owwwww, what was that for, sis?!" The girl says "For your stupid fake accent!"

When we emerge into the park, the sight amazes me! The grass was the greenest I have ever seen, the water was a crystalline blue, and the sound of various Pokémon filled the air. Several two-headed Pokémon I recognize as Doduo run by us. Ahead, in the stream, a Magikarp leaps out of the water and onto the ground. It flops around stupidly for a few seconds until it falls back into the water. A herd of Donphan, hefty grey Pokémon that like to roll around, graze through the tall grass, looking for food. The scene is peaceful, serene, and it feels like… home. I suddenly miss Johto and long to see Liz and Mother again.

"Wow, this place is so tranquil," Darius says. Jess looks around, smiling. She appears to have the same feelings as I am.

I start walking toward the herd of Donphan. I stand at a short distance from them and watch them interact with each other. Two male Donphan butt heads, wrestling each other, presumably over the female that is laying in the dirt. A couple baby Phanpy roll around playfully by the female. Watching them interact fills me with a joy I have yet to know, and I find myself longing for more of that feeling. As I watch these animals play with each other, I feel a thud against my leg. I look down and see one of the baby Phanpy had rolled into my leg. It sat on the ground, looking up at me. I kneel down, reach into my bag, and procure a Sitrus berry. I offer the berry to the baby. It sniffs it cautiously, then grabs it and munches on it. I smile and pet its head.

"Uh, dude, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Darius warns. I look up and see the mother moving toward me, head down, looking like it is ready to charge. I slowly back away, staying low. The baby takes the remains of its berry and runs to its mother. The mother moves forward, as if to dare me to approach. I reach into my bag, pull out a handful of berries, and slowly, I move closer to the mother, hand out, offering the berries.

"Hey, wait, no!" Darius whispers, but I ignore him. I move closer and closer. The mother starts scratching the ground. The two males have also stopped butting heads and were watching intently. Soon, I am almost within reach of the mother, but stop just short. I slowly lay the berries on the ground, then watch. The mother watches me, but cautiously approaches the berry pile. She reaches out with her trunk, grabs a berry, and eats it. She looks back at me and I smile. As she reaches for a second berry, I reach out and gently touch her trunk. She freezes, but does not pull away. I gently pet her trunk, and when she sees I mean no harm, she moves closer. Soon, I am caressing her entire trunk as she eats. She looks at me and cries out happily. "Doooon!"

Jess and Darius look at me with surprise. "Man, you sure have a way with Pokémon," Darius says. I just smile.

"I agree," says a gruff voice. We look and see an older man, perhaps in his forties, standing behind us. He is dressed in a similar outfit as the rangers at the entrance, with a closely cropped salt-and-pepper beard. He has his arms crossed and a smile on his face.

Jaws joins me in petting the mother Donphan. The two males go back to butting heads. The other baby comes and the two babies run around Jaws. Jaws chases them around, a big grin on his face.

I stand up. The ranger approaches me and extends a hand. "The name's Jeff," he says. "I'm the game warden of the park." I grasp his hand and we shake. "That was quite an impressive feat. I've never seen anyone handle a protective mother Donpahn like that before. They usually end up with several new bruises."

"Oh, that?" I just shrug. "It wasn't anything, sir. I just gave it some berries."

Jeff shakes his head. "Pokémon are quite intuitive creatures," he says. "They can tell when someone has a kind heart. Yours must be incredible to calm her so quickly."

"I just really like Pokémon, sir," I say. "I would never want to see one come to any harm."

"Good to hear that," he says. "How about I show you guys around?"

"That would be excellent, sir!" I say, excited. I look back at my friends, who smile and nod.

"Great!" Jeff says. "This way!"

I call out to Jaws, who had one Phanpy in his arms and the other in his giant jaws, much to the disdain of the mother. He spats out the one in his jaws, who rolls out and cries out happily. Jaws then sets the other Phanpy down. It runs to its mother, and the mother herds them back to the den. The four of us walk with Jeff as he guides us down the path. We see a large blue bug Pokémon with a long horn fly above us between trees. The Heracross grabs a tree branch that is occupied by a Pikachu. Heracross pushes Pikachu off the branch. Pikachu hits the ground and runs off, annoyed.

"As you can see, we have a wide variety of Pokémon here," Jeff says. "When this place was made, many of these species flourished on their own in Hoenn. Unfortunately, heavy development ruined the habitats of these creatures and they quickly became dangerously close to extinction. A man named Baoba came here to help preserve those species. A couple species unfortunately did become extinct before the park could be constructed, species only found in Hoenn."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I say. The idea of losing an entire species due to human encroachment saddens me.

Jeff, seemingly sensing my sadness, pats me on the back. "Cheer up," he says. "Many species were saved, and now live here."

"But these all can be found in Johto," I say. "They're nowhere near extinction."

"Not globally," Jeff says, "but locally, yes, they are. You can't just grab a bunch of Johto Pikachu and release them in Hoenn. The damage to the ecology, not to mention to themselves, would be disastrous. Johto Pikachu are not acclimated to Hoenn's humidity. They are acclimatized to Johto's drier, cooler air, and having four seasons. Hoenn really only has two season; summer and typhoon." He laughs as his own joke.

"I see what you mean," I say. "Would it be possible to create a preserve that brings Pokémon from all over the world together? Without the disastrous results."

Jeff thinks. "It would depend on a lot of factors, where the preserve was located, and what species you want to bring. And it would probably require a TON of money."

I nod. "I suppose it would," I say.

Jeff stops and we are in front of a small lake. Several Goldeen swim in the waters, while a raft of Psyduck sit in the shallows of the lake. The Psyduck just sit there, staring at each other, heads cocked. A couple Girafarig walk to the water and drink side-by-side, while their tail-heads bite at each other. Jeff puts his hands on his hips and stares out into the water. "This is the life of a ranger!" he says excitedly. "The fresh air, the clean waters, life all around you!" He takes a deep breath. "I've been doing this for almost thirty years, boy, and I must say, I couldn't imagine doing anything else!"

"Even during Sinnoh's reign?" I ask.

Jeff looks and me. "Ah, yes, that," he says. "That wasn't a pleasant time in the world, was it? But yes, even then, I was here, protecting this preserve. Sinnoh didn't have much influence on us out here. Hoenn is pretty isolated."

"So you didn't partake in the war?" I ask.

"Ah, the war," he says, stroking his beard. "No, son, can't say that I did. Hoenn wasn't really involved with that. Like I said, we're isolated. The entire region is surrounded by vast ocean. It would be quite hard to get here without being noticed."

I nod grimly. "Yes, I suppose so."

Suddenly, the water in the lake begins to churn. The Goldeen panic, swimming away, along with a school of Magikarp. The Psyduck just look out at the disturbance, unfazed. Jeff furrows his brow. "What have we hear?" he asks.

The disturbance grows, and suddenly, a loud roar resounds from below the water. The water splashes around and I see a Magikarp in the middle flailing wildly. It grows rapidly, its body elongating Its orange skin gradually changes to blue as it grows longer. Its gaping mouth widens and appears as if it would tear apart. Sharp fangs sprout within its maw and horns on its head spike out. It roars again and finally, it finishes evolving into a full-sized Gyarados.

"Crikey!" Jeff shouts. "A Magikarp evolved!"

The Gyarados roars again and thrashes about, threatening to destroy everything in the lake. Its rage is terrible and if left unchecked, it could kill everything within the lake!

"This is bad!" Darius shouts.

Jeff shakes his head calmly. "This is normal," he says. "Evolution is inevitable. However, this lake is way too small to have a Gyarados rampaging through it. We have protocols to handle it." He pulls out a Pokéball. "All it takes is a little handling! Go Tropius!" He throws his ball down and a large tree-looking Pokémon appears. It has four legs, a long neck, large wing-like leaves (or are they leaf-like wings?) on its back, and what appears to be plantains under its chin. Jeff looks at us and smirks. "Feel free to jump in. Just use something that won't harm it too bad."

I nod and think. I decide to go the same strategy as Jeff and toss out Exeggutor's ball. "Exeggutor!" it shouts as it appears. It dances around and shakes its leaves at me.

I point at the Gyarados. "Exeggutor, help out Jeff and his Pokémon!" Exeggutor's faces all appear to laugh at me, but it turns around and faces the Gyarados, so I assume it will obey.

Darius and Jess follow suit. Darius releases Prinplup. "He can help protect against any Water attacks!"

Jess throws out Electrike. "It's weak, so it won't hurt much, but it should know Thunder Wave. We can paralyze it!"

Jeff smirks. "You guys sure come prepared!" he says. "Let's wrangle us a Gyarados! Tropius, use Leaf Tornado!"

Tropius flaps its leafy wings. A large cloud of leaves fly toward the Gyarados. A whirlwind whips around the raging Pokémon, each leaf slicing at its hide. Gyarados seems unfazed and the attack only seems to have made it angrier.

"Hmm…" Jeff strokes his chin. "All right guys, let's see what you got!"

"Right!" Darius says, fist clenched excitedly. "Prinplup! Use Drill Peck!"

Prinplup leaps into the air and spins rapidly. He flies into the Gyarados, digging his beack into its side. Gyarados reels back from the attack, then swings its tail around, catching Prinplup off guard. Prinplup takes the hit, but flips around and lands on his feet on the shore.

"Electrike!" Jess commands. "Paralyze that beast with Thunder Wave!"

"Ele…" Electrike steps out from behind Jess' legs nervously. She creeps toward the water edge. Gyarados roars and shoots water everywhere. Electrike yelps with fear and sends electric shocks in every direction. We dive for cover, but poor Jaws gets a bolt to the butt. He jumps up and rubs his butt along the ground. Gyarados gets hit as well. It roars angrily and just shakes off the attack.

"Grrr… we have some work to do…" Jess grumbles.

"All right, I'm up," I say. "Exeggutor, try using Hypnosis!"

"Eggs?" Exeggutor looks right at me with all three heads.

"Ack, no!" I say, panicking. "Not at me, at Gyarados!"

"Tor!" Exeggutor turns to Gyarados, but before he could use Hypnosis, he gets blasted with a geyser of water. Exeggutor falls backward onto his rump and sits on the ground. I groan, but Exeggutor stands back up and emits a large wave that flies toward Gyarados. The beast rears back as the wave envelops its face. It seems to slow down, but does not stop.

"Good!" Jeff shouts. "It's weakening! Now we need to subdue it. Once we subdue it, we can transport it to the ocean."

"I think I know who can help with that," I say. I pull out the dented Great Ball. "It's been a little while, bud. Go Brawny!"

"CHAMP!" Brawny bellows as he emerges.

"Okay, buddy!" I shout. "Wrestle down that Gyarados without injuring it. Can you do that?"

"Champ!" he says, flexing.

"Awesome! Now go!" I point my finger at Gyarados.

Brawny charges into the water. Gyarados turns to him and rears back. A ball of energy begins forming in its gaping maw.

"Not good!" Jeff warns. "It's about to use Hyper Beam. Everyone, get out of the way!"

"Brawny, watch out!" I shout.

Brawny leaps into the air and grabs Gyarados' head. He holds Gyarados' head in front of him, his body between us and the raging beast's charging attack. I fear he will use his body as a shield to protect us, but just before Gyarados fires the beam, Brawny leaps aside and wrenches Gyarados' head to face the sky. The beam fires into the heavens, away from all of us. Brawny then slams Gyarados' head into the water, and while it is gargling water, he leaps onto its back. Gyarados thrashes about, desparately trying to throw Brawny off. Brawny holds on tight with two of his hands, and uses his two free hands to pound into its head.

"All right, guys," Jeff calls out. "Let 'im have it!"

Darius, Jess, and Jeff all call out commands for various attacks. Prinplup unleashes a Hydro Pump, Tropius unleashes a barrage of razor sharp leaves, and Electrike timidly throws sparks at Gyarados. I order Exeggutor to use whatever attack it feels like, and it decides to throw explosive eggs, because of course. Gyarados visibly weakens, but continues to thrash about. Our Pokémon continue their assault, until finally, Jeff calls out for us to halt.

"Okay, I think it's ready!" he says. "Fall back!"

We call our Pokémon back. Brawny pushes off Gyarados and leaps across the water, landing on shore. Jeff grabs his lasso, swings it over his head, and throws it at Gyarados. It wraps around the Pokémon's neck. Jeff gives the rope a hard yank. Gyarados gets pulled toward Jeff, then pulls back on its own. Jeff grunts, struggling to pull the creature down. He looks over at me. "See if you can get your Exeggutor to blast it with another Hypnosis!" he shouts.

I nod. "Exeggutor, use Hypnosis!" I command.

Exeggutor teeters around, acting as it he did not hear me. I frown and am about to issue the order again, when Exeggutor faces Gyarados and emits the hypnotic waves. The wave engulfs Gyarados' face as it struggles against Jeff's strength. It slows down even more, but still will not go down. Jeff pulls harder, but the more he struggles, the more Gyarados struggles. I am about to order Exeggutor to use Hypnosis again, when Brawny walks up to Jeff, grabs the rope, and gives it one hard yank. Gyarados' face slams into the water and it stays down.

Jeff scratches the back of his head. "Well, that's effective!" he says, chuckling. "May have been a bit rough, but at least it's down." He grabs his radio off his belt and keys in. "Mike Echo, this is Papa Romeo Two, over."

I hear static for a second, then a voice speaks through the radio speaker. "Papa Romeo Two, this is Mike Echo, over."

"Ten-Fifty-Two at sector Alpha Three," Jeff says professionally. "Subject One-Thirty, unconscious, but alive. Evac to ocean, over."

"Ten-Four," the radio says.

Jeff returns the radio to his belt. "They should be here shortly to transport it to the ocean," he says. "That was some mighty fine work."

"Will Gyarados be all right?" I ask, worried.

"Ha, it'll be fine!" Jeff says with a hearty laugh. "We have the finest veterinarians and zoologists here. They'll ensure it is in top notch health before releasing it into the ocean."

"Hmm, I hope so," I say, still worried.

Jeff slaps me on the back. "You know, you'd make a fine ranger," he says. "I could use a good lad like you here."

"Oh?" I do not know what to say. The thought of being a Pokémon ranger never even crossed my mind. Johto does not exactly have a wildlife preserve, not since the destruction of Awaji. Still, the thought does have its appeal.

"Don't worry," Jeff assures. "You would do fine here. I would make you my personal assistant, and train you myself. What do you say?"

I think for a moment, but I already know my answer. I still have things I need to get done, and I am still unsure what I want to do with my life when this is all over. I shake my head. "I appreciate the offer," I say sincerely. "I really do, but I have something I need to take care of." I look back at Jaws, who was watching Exeggutor torment Darius.

Jeff seems to acknowledge my unfinished business. "You truly care for that guy, don't you?" he asks. "That Mawile; I can tell you two are close. Faithful to the end, right?" He places a hand upon my shoulder. "Don't worry. Take care of what you need to do. You are still young. There is plenty of time to figure out what you want to do with your life." When I look at him, surprised that he knew what I was thinking, he just laughs. "Don't act so surprised! I've been there myself. Believe it or not, I was a kid once too." I smile.

Jeff looks into the sky. Two helicopters roar in over the trees. They lower down to the lake and hover over the water. Men rappel down ropes to the water and begin harnessing the Gyarados. Once the harness is fastened over the creature, one of the men signal up to the pilots and they take off. The guy then renders a two-finger salute to Jeff, who returns the salute. Once the helicopters disappear over the trees, I look back at my friends and my Pokémon. Brawny is juggling both Prinplup and Jaws, while Jess tries to soothe Electrike. Poor Darius is getting loved on by Exeggutor, who is frantically trying to push him away.

"Hey Crono!" Darius shouts, panicky. "PLEASE get him off me!"

Exeggutor dances around Darius, and every now and then, will turn all heads to him and shake his leaves happily. Darius is on his butt, looking terrified. I whistle at Exeggutor, and when he stops, I pull him back into his ball. Darius stands up slowly, breathing heavily. I rush over and put my hand on his shoulder. "Are you all right?" I ask.

"I… don't… LIKE THEM!" he says between panicky breaths. His breathing gradually slows and finally returns to normal.

"Well, he certainly seems to like you," I say. Darius just glares at me. "All right, Brawny, time to go!" Brawny frowns and puts Prinplup and Jaws down. He rushes up to me and gives me a big bone-crushing hug. I grimace in his grip. "I know, I know. Maybe later, I can let you out and we can play. Would you like that?"

"Ma-CHAMP!" he bellows happily. I grin and pull him into his ball.

Darius and Jess follow suit with their Pokémon. I suddenly notice that it has grown quite dark. We were so busy with that Gyarados, that we did not notice the sun was setting. We need to find a place to stay the night.

"Thank you for showing us around, Jeff," I say, "but we need to get going. Gotta find a place to stay."

"Why not stay here the night?" he suggests. "We have a camping area. I can set you up in a fine cabin for the night. My treat!"

"That would be great, thank you!" I say.

Jeff waves his hand for us to follow him. We head back down the trail to where we first met. Tucked out of sight beneath a watch tower is a small garage, camouflaged to look like it is part of the mountain side. Jeff pulls out a remote, presses a button, and a portion of the rock moves aside. Inside is a nice four-seated all-terrain vehicle with an open roof and no windows. He jumps into the driver seat and the rest of us climb into the passenger seats. Jaws sits on my lap and I strap the seat belt across both of us. Jeff pulls the vehicle out and drives down the road.

Along the way, we pass by various Pokémon areas. The Donphan near the garage were herding their young into a nearby cave. Further down the road, a stream had a raft of Psyduck bathing. Above us, three Heracross fly through the trees. As Jeff turns a corner, he slows down as a patch of Oddish run across the road. Once they finish crossing, Jeff hits the gas and we move on.

At last, we see several log cabin ahead. They are of decent size and look cozy. A couple are occupied, while on the other side of the stream, several tents are pitched. One family sits around a campfire, roasting marshmallows on sticks. A lone man sits in a chair by the stream, fishing pole in hand, fast asleep. His pole suddenly falls into the water, being dragged by a Magikarp. The man snaps awake and jumps into the water after it. I laugh.

Jeff pulls up to a vacant cabin. He gets out of the vehicle and heads to the cabin. We follow. He opens the door and we all step inside. He flips on a light. The cabin is small, but cozy. Two bunkbeds, one on either side of a common room, and a bathroom. I feel a flutter of excitement. I always liked camping, but this is nice!

"There is a grill outside, if you enjoy a little cooking," he says. "Be sure to put out any fire you make, and never leave a fire unattended. Pick up your litter or you might attract some unwanted visitors!"

"Yes, sir," I say. "Thank you very much."

"Yeah, thanks!" Darius says, excited. "This place is awesome!"

"Are we really staying in this dump?" Jess mutters. I pretend I did not hear her.

"Well, you all have a good night!" Jeff says. "I've got some work to do before I get to turn in for the night. Take care!"

"Good night!" we say.

"Dibs!" Darius says, jumping into a top bunk.

"Hey, get out, ladies first!" Jess growls, trying to pull Darius off the top bunk.

"I'll remember that when I see one," Darius says, sticking his tongue out. Jess growls and climbs up with him. "Hey, get down!"

"I'm sleeping here, whether you're in it or not!" Jess says. "Better not try anything funny!" The two start to wrestle.

I look at Jaws. "Which one do you want, buddy?" I ask. He looks at the two bunks opposite of where Jess and Darius are totally not about to get it on. He thinks for a moment, then, grinning at me, points to the top bunk. I smile and nod. "All yours," I say.

He climbs the ladder to his bed, while I lay down on mine. I think about the events of today. Jeff said I would make a good Pokémon ranger. It sounds appealing, but is that what I really want to do? I really do care for Pokémon, and out here, it looks like Jeff and his crew do too. To create a wildlife preserve, a place where Pokémon can live in peace, to ensure the survival of these precious creatures. Obviously, that is a grand endeavor, one that would most likely take a lot of money to achieve, money I do not have. I sigh. I do like the idea of working here with Jeff, but at the same time, when this is all done, I have to go back to Johto. I cannot stay here. I cannot just abandon my mother, and I definitely would not expect Liz to just uproot herself on my behalf. No, I must return to Johto. Johto is my home. As I ponder these things, sleep sneaks up on me, and despite all the ruckus Darius and Jess are making, I fall fast asleep.

Sunlight peeks through the window and casts a beam right into my eyes. I squint and shield my eyes as I get up. I go to the window and adjust the curtain. I am tired, but I am up and decide to not go back to sleep. Darius and Jess are both asleep in the top bunk, with Jess spooned up against Darius. I chuckle and take a quick picture with my Pokégear camera. Jaws, too, is snoring away in the bed above mine. I don't see Skarmory, but I hear him chirp-snoring in the same bed as Jaws. I decide to let them sleep. I step outside and take a deep breath, taking in the fresh open air. I look to the east and see the sun glowing an angry orange due to being partially obscured by a pillar of smoke coming from a volcano in the distance. The colors painted across the sky are beautiful and awe-inspiring. This is definitely the life.

I walk along the stream, watching the Magikarp and Goldeen swim by. A patch of Oddish bury themselves in the tall grass across the stream, hiding from the sun. A Heracross rummages through a nearby tree, looking for food. Another Heracross climbs down the tree and the two begin to wrestle. Further down the stream, I hear the sounds of vehicles and men shouting. I continue walking toward the sounds, curious as to what is going on.

"Back up slowly!" a familiar voice shouts. When I arrive, I see Jeff standing behind a large cargo truck. The truck slowly backs toward him as Jeff signals the driver with hand movements. Finally, Jeff closes his fist and the truck stops. He climbs up the back, removes a padlock, then jumps off and pulls a lever. The cargo door opens.

"Skhan!" A creature roars from within the cargo truck. Jeff reaches into his satchel and pulls out some berries. He holds them out and waits. After a minute, I hear the stomps of whatever creature is on board and at last, it emerges from the cargo truck. The large brown biped looks at the hand of berries, then slowly reaches out and takes one. On its stomach, a small head appears from a pouch. It takes me a moment, but I recognize the creature at the endangered Kangaskhan. The Kangaskhan hands the berry to its baby. The baby reaches out, takes it, and ducks back into the pouch. Jeff steps back, encouraging Kangaskhan to step off the truck onto solid ground. Once the beast is on the ground, the other workers close the cargo door and the driver pulls away. Jeff tosses the berries onto the ground in front of Kangaskhan. She sits by the pile of berries. The peeks out of its mother's pouch, looks around, then climbs out and starts eating the berries. Jeff smiles proudly. He then notices me watching and motions for me to come over.

"Morning!" he says cheerfully. "Like our newest addition?"

I nod. "She's magnificent!"

"Straight from Kanto," he says proudly. "It took a couple years of careful breeding and acclimatizing, but at last, we were able to bring her here. We will need to keep a close eye on her, make sure she adjusts well, but I have a feeling she will do just fine!"

I smile. "That's wonderful," I say.

"She'll be off limits to visitors," Jeff says. "She'll be well protected until we can get the population to increase steadily. That won't be for a couple more years, but once that time comes, trainers all over Hoenn can come get their very own Kangaskhan."

Knowing that this beautiful creature is in good hands puts me at ease. Jeff really cares for Pokémon and takes good care of them and this park. I now see him as a role model, someone to look up to, someone to aspire to be like. It is a good feeling, one I have not had since Father died.

"May I?" I ask.

Jeff looks at me, then back at the Kangaskhan. "Sure, I don't see why not?" he says. "Just take it easy. She's still a little skittish."

I nod and slowly approach the majestic creature. She looks at me and shifts uncomfortably. I stop, wait a moment, and when she settles down a bit, I slowly move closer. The baby peeks its head out of the pouch and looks at me with its head cocked. It then leaps out of the pouch and runs up to me. The mother tries to grab it, but she is too slow. I stoop down and hold my hand out. The baby looks at it and sniffs it. It looks up at me and smiles. "Kan!" it squeaks.

I smile and gently pet its head. It nuzzles my hand and squeaks happily. Then it suddenly leaps up at me. I quickly catch it and it squeals cheerfully. The mother cautiously approaches me. I stand up and slowly hand the baby back to her. She takes it, puts the child back into her pouch, then she does the most surprising thing: she bows her head! I hesitate, unsure if I am interpreting it right. Jeff looks at me and nods. I reach out and gently pet her head. After a couple seconds, she pulls back. "Skhan!"

"Well done!" Jeff says. "You've made more progress than most of her handlers! You sure you don't want a job here?" He lets out a hearty laugh.

I laugh too. "It really is tempting," I say. "But Johto is my home. I plan on returning there once I've finished my mission."

Jeff nods. "Suit yourself," he says. "It's admirable to see someone so devoted to their cause. Makes me feel less alone in this world!"

Suddenly, my Pokégear phone rings. I look at caller ID and see that it is Darius. I answer. "Hey man, what's up?"

"Dude! Where are you?!" Darius shouts. I hear very loud squawking in the background.

"I went for a walk," I say. "What is going on over there?!"

"AAGGHH!" Darius screams. "Get back here already!" He hangs up.

I look at Jeff. "I gotta go," I say. "Emergency at the cabin."

"Everything okay?" he asks.

"I… don't know?" I shrug. "Thanks for this experience! Take care!"

"Here, a little gift from me," he says. He tosses a small bag. I open the bag and it is filled with ten camouflaged Pokéballs. "Feel free to catch anything in the park, my treat! Good day!" he says, then turns his attention to the Kangaskhan.

"Thank you!" I turn and I break into a run. I speed along the stream all the way back to the cabin. I hear the loud squawking coming from inside and loud clattering. I pull the door open and see a very large Skarmory flapping wildly, while a panicky Darius and Jess fail at calming him down.

"Holy growth spurt, Brycen-Man!" I exclaim.

"A little help, dude!" Darius shouts, narrowly avoiding being decapitated by Skarmory's wing.

I run in and the moment Skarmory sees me, he immediately calms down. He flaps over to me and gently lays his head on my shoulder. I wrap my arms around his neck and stroke his cool steely feathers. Jess looks at me with a confused look. I just shrug and continue to soothe Skarmory. Darius walks up and watches Skarmory bask in my love.

"Aww," he says.

"What happened?" I ask.

"He woke up and couldn't find you," Darius explains.

"Why would that freak him out?" I ask.

"Because he's still a baby," Darius says. "He sees you as his mother."

"His mother?!" I exclaim. Skarmory shifts excitedly at my tone. I hush him and continue to soothe him.

Darius nods. "Many Pokémon, especially birds, think of the first being they see as their mother," he explains. "This is because most birds are present when their young hatch. You were the first one he saw when he hatched. Therefore, you're his mommy." Jess snorts in the background.

I pull back and look at Skarmory. He squawks quietly as I stroke his beak. To be a Pokémon's mother… heh, the thought of it is weird, but at the same time, heartwarming. Obviously, I cannot have him freaking out whenever I am not around. "How long will this last?" I ask Darius.

"Um… until he dies," Darius says.

"What?!" I panic. As much as I love him, I cannot have him clinging to me all the time and freaking out when I am not around.

"To him, you'll always be his mother," Darius says, "but the clinginess should end within the week, once he's past his infancy."

"Oh," I say with relief. That is much better. "So why is he suddenly so big? He's almost as tall as me!"

Darius furrows his brow. "Yeah, that's an anomaly," he says. "They typically don't reach full-size until the end of their infancy. He probably just had a growth spurt."

"That's one heck of a growth spurt," I say. Still, I am happy he has calmed down and is healthy. Unfortunately, I think it is time. I pull out one of the balls Jeff gave me. "Since you are so big now, I think it is time you go into a Pokéball. Is that okay?" Skarmory pulls his head back. I stroke his beak and he squawks happily. I toss the ball at Skarmory and he gets pulled in. It wobbles a few times, then clicks, and I know the seal has been made. I pick up the ball. "Thanks, buddy," I say. "I'll keep you safe." I look around. "Where's Jaws?"

Just then, Jaws sits up in the top bunk and yawns. He looks at us sleepily. "He slept through all that?!" Jess says. We all laugh. Jaws just looks at us, confused.

We collect our belongings and head out the door of the cabin. As we walk down the road back toward the entrance, I begin to ponder on the things I have seen here and what Jeff told me. The more I think about it, the more it feels right. I am still unsure of myself, though, and decide to confide in Darius and Jess.

"So I've been thinking," I start. "I have been wondering what to do with my life once this journey is over."

"Well, that is a gear shift," Darius says. "What brought this up?"

"Well, as a child, I wanted nothing more than to be a strong trainer like my father," I say. "Then he died. After losing him, I really didn't know what to do anymore. I still attempted it when Professor Oak announced he would be giving out Pokémon in Goldenrod, but I just didn't have the heart for it. I couldn't stand seeing my beloved Pokémon get injured." When Jess gives me an incredulous look, I continue. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not some anti-battling fanatic or anything. I know how important learning to battle can be. I just don't like seeing Pokémon get hurt."

Darius slaps me on the back. "It's cool, we get it," he assures. "Battling isn't for everyone."

I smile. "Thanks," I say. "Of course, a lot of emphasis has been placed on battling, but I feel there could be more than that. I understand why the emphasis is there. I just want to find something… else. Something different. Something rewarding." Jess, Darius, and Jaws listen to me intently. "This journey has shown me that there is a lot more to this world than Pokémon battles. Sure, there are Pokémon that truly enjoy fighting…" I look down at Jaws, who just grins big at me. "…but there are those who enjoy more than that. Brawny loves fighting, but he also loves hugs. Dunsparce seems to like to relax. Exeggutor… seems to really like you, Darius." Darius averts his eyes and grumbles, while Jess stifles a laugh. "They all have their own personalities, and I find that incredible. I would like to create a place where Pokémon who just want to live in peace can do so. I… I think I want to create something like a Safari Zone in Johto."

"What?" Jess exclaims.

"Dude, that's great!" Darius says.

I look at him. "You really think so?" I ask.

"Of course!" he says. "You have a dream, and it's a pretty amazing one at that. You really do care for Pokémon, and I love seeing people treat Pokémon with respect. Crono, friend, I will support you in your dream."

Jess shrugs. "Hey, you have mine too," she says. "Follow your heart."

I feel a tug at my shorts and look down. Jaws looks up at me, hugs my leg, and smiles. I return the smile. "Thanks, guys," I say. My heart feels like it will burst from joy. To finally have a dream after all these years, to have something to look forward to, and I must say, it feels pretty damn good.

"It's going to take a lot of money," I say, "and a lot of work. But now, I have something to work towards. I plan on making my dream come true."

"You have my full support, buddy!" Darius says. "I'm rooting for you!"

"Go for it!" Jess says.

I smile. Knowing my friends support me makes feel light as a Gastly! Now I just need to tell Liz later. I will give her a call tonight when we get to our next stop.

"Since we're sharing," Darius says, "I know you already know this, Crono, but Jess doesn't." He looks at Jess. "My dream is to become Champion. Doesn't matter which region, but preferably the one I plan on living in. Where that is, I haven't decided yet. After I become Champion, though, I want to open a Pokémon Trainers' school."

"That's a good dream," Jess says.

"Yep!" Darius beams. "I already have my first student, and he's excellent!" He wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me in for a bro hug. Jess laughs.

"So what is your dream, Jess?" I ask.

Jess' smile disappears at the sudden request and looks away. "Ah, no," she says. "I… I don't really have one."

"Aw, come on," Darius says. "We shared ours."

I look at Jess. "It's only fair."

She shakes her head. "No, no, it's embarrassing."

Darius grabs her arm. "Come on, out with it!"

"Hey, if she doesn't want to share, it's okay," I say.

Jess looks at the ground. "Well…" she starts. "I…" Darius, Jaws, and I look at her intently. "I… I've always wanted to get married."

"…WHAT?!" Darius shouts.

Darius looks at Jess with an incredulous look. Jess frowns at him. "I didn't mean to YOU, Kalos Boy!" Jess growls.

"Oh…" Darius says. His face is straight and hard to read. He looks relieved and disappointed at the same time.

"Marriage, huh?" I say. "Interesting."

"What do you mean by that?" Jess growls. "You know what, forget it! It's stupid! Screw you guys!" She starts stomping away.

"No no, it's not a stupid dream," I say, hoping to calm her down, but she keeps storming away.

"Man, I feel bad for the guy that gets stuck with her," Darius jokes.

A large berry suddenly hits Darius square in the face. Darius hits the ground, landing on his butt. "I heard that!" Jess shouts.

Darius just grumbles as he wipes his face off. I just stare in awe. "What an arm," I say. Jaws wipes some berry pulp off Darius' face and eats it. Darius glares at him. Jaws grins back.

Jess pulls out her Articuno, jumps on, and takes off, leaving us behind. Darius quickly summons Talonflame and takes off after her. "Hey, wait, what about…" I start, but they are of. I look at Jaws. "…us." Jaws shrugs, then flaps his arms. "Yeah, they just left us. I guess we're walking to… wherever it is we were headed to. The Space Center? I don't even know where that is!" Jaws shakes his head, then makes a face, while flapping his arms. I look at him and laugh. "Ha, you look just like…" It dawns on me and I suddenly remember. "Skarmory! Hmm… I don't know… he's still in his infancy, though he did just have a massive growth spurt." I look at Jaws, who just looks back. "Well, let's see if he's strong enough."

I pull out Skarmory's ball and release him. He spreads his wings and squawks! "Skaaa!"

I stroke his beak and feed him a Sitrus Berry. "Hey, buddy, think you can fly around a bit?" I ask. Skarmory crows and dashes into the sky. He soars high into the sky, spreads his wings out wide, and hovers for a moment, then swoops into a dive back towards me. He speeds right over my head, flips upright, and lands gracefully. I watch, greatly impressed. "Wow, buddy, you're a natural!" I say. I stroke his smooth neck as he squawks happily. "Now do you think you are strong enough to carry me?" I ask. Skarmory stoops down. I carefully climb on. He buckles slightly under my weight, but holds on. He flaps his wings and gets lift. Slowly, he rises into the air. After a few seconds of flittering, he pulls his wings back and we dart into the sky. "WHOA!" I shout and I tighten my grip around his neck. We speed upward, higher and higher. The air begins to grow thinner and colder. I cough. Skarmory turns around quickly and dives back downward. The wind blows through my hair and face, cheeks flapping wildly. Such speed, such agility! I hold on for dear life, and finally, Skarmory spreads his wings wide and turns upright, stopping just above Jaws in a hover. I suddenly realize I am holding my breath and exhale sharply.

"We have some training to do," I say. "You are really fast! Perhaps slow it down some while I'm riding you?" Skarmory crows. Jaws waves at me. I pull out his Luxury Ball. "Time to go in, buddy," I say. "We have to catch up to Darius and Jess." Jaws nods and I pull him in. I pocket the ball and point in the direction our friends went. "Let's go!"

Skarmory soars into the air. He is fast, but not as fast as he was initially. I look around, trying to spot Jess and Darius, but I think they are well ahead of us. While Skarmory is fast, I believe Articuno is faster, and I know Talonflame is. I doubt we will catch up, and will probably have to find the Space Center ourselves. What city did she say it was in? Mossdeep or something? I do not even know where that would be. I guess we will head east, since that was the direction we were going.

As we fly east, I notice a city approaching over the horizon. I decide to stop at the Pokémon Center to see if they have a map. Once we reach the city limits, I command Skarmory to swoop down. We fly above the buildings until we spot the signature red roof of the Pokémon Center. Skarmory dives and lands in front of the building. I pull him into his ball and walk in.

The Pokémon Center is filled with people. Several nurses are taking people's Pokémon and healing them, answering questions, and assisting others. I look around for a map, but do not see one. I decide to stand in line and wait. The line goes quicker than I expected and within a few minutes, I am at the counter. The nurse smiles and greetings me. "Good morning, sir," she says with a pleasant smile. "How many I help you?"

"Is this Mossdeep City?" I ask. "I'm new to Hoenn and I'm a little lost."

The nurse chuckles slightly. "Don't worry, we get this all the time," she says. "You're in Lilycove, home of the famous Lilycove Department Store. If you are looking for Mossdeep City, you will need to travel across the ocean, to a small island east of here. Unfortunately, the harbor doesn't have any ships going out that way soon."

"That's okay, I'll be flying," I say. "Do you have any maps of Hoenn?"

"Absolutely!" the nurse says cheerfully. She pulls out two objects, a folded piece of paper and a small chip. "Analog or digital?" she asks with a grin.

I return the grin. "Digital, please!" I say. She hands the chip to me and I upload the map data to my Pokégear. The map appears on my screen. I small blinking light indicates my location. "Excellent, thank you, ma'am!"

"Anything else I can help you with?" she asks with a pleasant smile.

I shake my head. "No, thank you, I'm good."

"Have a great day," she says. I step away from the counter and head toward the door. Once outside, I release Skarmory from his ball, carefully climb on, and we take off. We soar east, flying high above the ocean. Down below, numerous small islands dot the water. I look down and see some people swimming, others are riding on their Pokémon, and others till are having heated sea battles. I watch as someone's Wailord uses Body Slam on a poor Pikachu and cannot help but feel sorry for the little guy. I continue to look around, keeping an eye out for and signs of Darius and Jess, but I cannot see them anywhere.

To the south, I notice a large wall of rock looming on the horizon. I check the map on my Pokégear. According to the map, it shows that the rock wall is actually a crater and the city of Sootopolis resides within! I make a mental note to check out the city later, as a city within a crater would definitely be a remarkable sight!

At last, after close to an hour, I start to see a large island amidst some fog. As we get closer, I notice a large tower with a rocket attached to it. That must be where the Space Center is. Finally, we arrive at Mossdeep City! I command Skarmory to circle around, as surely the rockets do not launch within close proximity of the Space Center itself. I spot a large building with a massive satellite dish on top and order Skarmory to come in for a landing. Skarmory dives and lands gracefully near the entrance of the building. I stroke his beak and feed him a Sitrus berry. He squawks happily and I pull him into his ball. I glance around, but still do not see Darius and Jess. I frown, take my Pokégear, and try calling Darius. When he does not answer, I send him a short message saying that I am at the Space Center. I then take out Jaws' Luxury Ball and release him. He hops excitedly, then looks around and shrugs. I return the shrug. "I don't know where they are," I say. "I hope they are okay."

We climb the steps to the Space Center's entrance. When we walk up to the double doors, they open automatically. Just as we are about to enter, I hear footsteps behind us. I look and there stand Darius and Jess, side by side, looking disheveled. Their clothes are dirty and their hair is messy. I raise an eyebrow. "What the heck happened to you two?" I ask.

They both look at my nonchalantly. "What?" Darius asks. "Do I have something on my face?" Jess just kind of looks anywhere but at me.

"Well well, who might you be?" a cool, smooth voice asks behind me. I turn around and see a tall man wearing a black suit, with icy blue hair and piercing icy blue eyes. He smiles a dazzling smile, looking suave and debonair.

I hear Jess gasp. "Is that…" she starts.

"Who is that?" Darius asks.

"That is…" Jess starts fixing her hair.

The man extends his hand. "The name is Stone," he says. "Steven Stone, Hoenn League Champion and collector of rare stones."

"Hoenn… Champion?!" Darius exclaims. "Quick, how do I look?" Jess elbows him sharply.


	15. Chapter 15: Reach Up to the Universe

I extend my hand and take Steven's for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you, sir," I say. "My name is Crono, and this is Jaws. The two embarrassments behind me are Darius and Jess."

I glance back at my friends. Darius and Jess continue dusting their clothes off, looking like giddy schoolchildren. Steven smiles and Jess giggles in a manner that is totally unlike her. I groan.

"You keep yourself in good company," Steven says. "So what brings you to the Space Center?"

"Well, actually," I begin, "Jaws came through the GTS by mistake. I'm trying to help him find his way home."

Steven puts his hands in his pocket and looks at Jaws. He seems to take great interest in him, checking him out intently. Jaws looks at him back, not taking his eyes off him. Steven smiles and nods. "I fancy myself an expert in Steel types," Steven says. "If I'm not mistaken, I would say your Mawile is already home."

"You know, you're not the first person to tell me that," I say.

Steven kneels down and pats Jaws on the head. "He seems quite happy right where he is," he says. "What would you do should you find his original trainer and they want him back?"

I look at the ground. "It should be his choice where he wants to go," I say. "If he wants to go back to his original trainer, I won't stop him."

Steven stands back up. "That's mighty noble of you," he says, "but it is also important to recognize the desires of your Pokémon early on. Presenting him with such a choice might not only make his life more difficult, but may also cause his trust in you to waiver. It is quite clear to me you two share a deep bond. You say he came from the Global Trade System. Did it occur to you that if he was there, his original trainer didn't want him?"

I nod. "It did…"

"Then why do you continue this journey?" Steven asks.

I do not answer, for deep down, I no longer know. At first, it felt like the right thing to do. In the process, I sought answers to Father's past and why he died in the war. After that, I just kept going. Has this journey really been about me? Am I being selfish by continuing this adventure?

Steven laughs. "Do not fret!" he says. "I was merely curious. It is a noble effort, and I hope you find what you are looking for." He glances at the Pokégear on his wrist. "It is almost time. Why don't you all come with me? I'll show you something spectacular."

I look back at my friends, who both nod eagerly. I look back at Steven and nod. "Sure, thank you," I say.

Steven leads us through the Space Center. He gestures to various displays around the building. "For years, the scientists here at the Space Center have worked tirelessly to perfect space travel. There have been many failures, as there are in anything anyone has ever worked on, but eventually, a working rocket was built. The first object in space was a probe called Surskit, named so because it looked kind of like the Pokémon; a ball with four long antennae. It did nothing more than beep, but it successfully orbited the planet! It was phenomenal and a huge step forward to space exploration!"

Steven gestures to a large display. It was the Surskit probe, along with a picture of a blue Pokémon with a round head and four legs protruding from the bottom of its head. I have to admit, they really do look similar. Darius looks at the Pokémon in the picture. "It's kind of cute," he says.

"It's a Bug type," Jess says. "Bug types give me the willies." Darius and I look at Jess with confused looks. "What? Don't give me that look! I'll smack it right off your stupid faces!"

Steven laughs and moves on. He gestures to a display of rocks. "As space travel methods improved, we finally sent our first person into space. It was a huge step for mankind! Once we had a few successful orbits, we finally put a man on the moon. As I'm sure you have heard, it is theorized that certain Pokémon came from the moon, such as Clefairy. That was our goal with going there. These stones here all came from the moon, but unfortunately, that is all we have found so far. No signs of life on the moon." He sounds disappointed.

"I've heard of Clefairy coming from the moon," I say. "In Kanto, they reside in Mt. Moon, where Moon Stones can be mined. Clefairy also gather in large groups during the full moon. So I can see why that theory exists."

Steven nods. "Unfortunately, now that we've been there," he continues, "we're not so sure anymore. The moon, as far as we know, is dead."

"So what is your next endeavor?" Jess asks.

Steven smiles. "I'm glad you asked," he says. "The current mission has been ongoing for several months. An asteroid from the asteroid belt was knocked loose and has been free-floating toward the Sun for a long time. We took advantage of the close proximity and sent a team to land on it." He motions us to follow him. "You guys arrived here at the right time, because that team returns today!"

My eyebrows go up. "Wow, really?" I exclaim.

"I wonder what they found," Darius says.

"As am I," Steven says. "The stones they collected should be quite interesting."

He guides us into the observation deck. The observation deck is made almost entirely out of glass, giving us a full panoramic view of the island. The landing strip off in the distance sits quite far, and understandably so. Behind us, we see many homes sitting near the beach cliffs, overlooking the ocean. The island is relatively small, and based on the size, I assume that most of these homes belong to the employees of the Space Center. The Pokémon Center's signature red roof sticks out, easily spotted from here. It, too, resides near the shore, next to a path that leads to a small thicket of aquatic trees. It looks peaceful around those trees and wonder what kind of Pokémon live in them.

Steven looks at us and smiles. "Are you hungry?" he asks. "It will be a little while before they land. Without complications, they should be here within the hour. How about a meal while we wait?"

I nod, and look at my friends. They nod too. "Yeah, food would be great!" I say.

Steven taps on his Pokégear. It rings and a voice answers on the other side. "Yes, it's Steven," he says. "May I have five orders of today's special brought to the observation deck? Put it on my tab. Thank you." He hangs up.

"Thank you, sir," I say.

"Don't mention it," he says. "As my guests, it is my responsibility to provide for you."

"So, Mr. Stone," Darius says.

"Please, call me 'Steven'," Steven says.

"Okay, Steven," Darius says. "What is it like being Champion?"

Steven looks out toward the landing strip. "Believe it or not, it is quite the responsibility," he says. "As League Champion, the people of Hoenn see me as a protector of sorts. When anything goes wrong, the people look to me. It is quite daunting."

"It sounds like a lot of work," Darius says.

Steven nods. "It's a lot of weight on your shoulders," he says. "A lot of people seek to become champion, not realizing the responsibility that comes with it. Many don't last. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm the first to willingly shoulder the responsibility." He glances at Jess from over his shoulder. "I had just become Champion when the two titans of old rose and clashed against each other. The Hoenn people looked to me to protect them. That is when I knew this was not just a title."

Jess looks down and away. I realize he is speaking of that event a few years back, the one Jess told me about, where Team Aqua and Team Magma sought to raise some legendary Pokémon. Steven notices, approaches her, and gently lifts her chin. "Do not fret," he says soothingly. "Even back then, I realized that Team Aqua was not evil, only misguided. I never sought to eradicate you from Hoenn, but to show you the error of your ways. In the past few years, you have shown me that Team Aqua has learned from your mistakes and seek to make amends." Steven looks into Jess' eyes. "You are a good person. Don't ever forget that." He smiles and turns back to the window. Jess looks like she is about to spontaneously combust.

"Wow, that is pretty deep," Darius says. "I seem to still have a lot to learn."

Steven looks back at him. "You seek to become Champion?"

Darius nods. "I was almost the Unova League Champion," he says. "I lost to Alder and his Druddigon."

"Do you know why you lost?" Steven asks.

Darius nods. "Yes, actually," he says. "Ah… Crono helped me realize that I had been neglecting my Pokémon's training, and instead, only use Talonflame in battle. I have been correcting that mistake ever since." I notice he omitted any mention of Lugia. It is probably for the best. That is a long story.

Steven smiles and looks back at the landing strip. "Good," He says. "And what would you do after becoming Champion?"

"I want to open a school for budding trainers," he explains. "I would like to pass on everything I have learned, so others may succeed."

"Ah, a noble dream," he says. He hears the door open and looks. "Our food is here. Everyone enjoy!"

We sit on the benches as the server hands us our meals. Steven describes it as a Combusken sandwich, topped with Oddish leaves, a side of Tropius plantain chips, and Grepa juice. The sandwich is delicious, albeit a little spicy, and the chips are surprisingly sweet. The Grepa juice is sweet and tangy and very good. As we eat, an alarm goes off. I drop my sandwich and look around.

"Oh, it's time!" Steven says. "Don't panic! That just means the space shuttle has returned!"

The observatory begins to shake. In the sky, a smoking plume streaks toward the landing strip. The flames dissipate and a shuttle emerges, singed, but undamaged. It comes in for a landing, hitting the tarmac with the grace of a Donphan. Even at this distance, I can hear the squealing of its rubber tires grinding against the landing strip. It brakes, screeching to a slow, and gradually rolls to a stop. A crew runs out to greet them.

"Ah, they're finally here," Steven says. "I'm excited to see what kind of stones they brought back." He turns to us. "This is where I take my leave. Unfortunately, even the Hoenn Champion cannot bring guests into the command center. However, feel free to stick around. Should you stay the night, please tell the hotel clerk this phrase: 'Mr. Stone is not alone.' They will put the bill on my tab." With that, he walks with haste out of the observatory.

I look at my friends. "So, shall we stay?" I ask.

Darius shrugs. "Why not?" he says. "He's paying for the hotel."

Jess nods. "I'm wondering if we will get to learn of their discoveries," she says. "I'm actually quite curious."

I look at Jaws. He is too busy stuffing his face with our leftovers to pay us any attention. I just laugh, until Darius realizes his sandwich is being eaten. "Hey!" he shouts. Jaws just looks at Darius and shrugs. I laugh harder.

"To the hotel, I suppose," I say, after recovering from the gut-busting sight.

"Agreed," Jess says. "I doubt they'll learn anything profound overnight."

As we head to the hotel, I ponder today's events. Space exploration has never really occurred to me, despite hearing the theories about some Pokémon coming from space. I always figured there is so much to explore here, so many things still to learn, that people would want to know everything there is about our planet before trying to explore others. Still, I am quite curious to see if the shuttle's crew discovered anything and what it means for mankind.

We arrive at the hotel and are greeted by the man behind the counter. He is well dressed; a blue suit and red tie, similar to how Steven was dressed. He smiles as he greets us warmly. "Welcome to the Mossdeep Hotel," he says. "How may I assist you?"

"Ah, yes," I start, "Mr. Stone is not alone."

The well-dressed man's smile grows and his eyes widen. "Yes, sir!" he says, excitedly. "How many are in your party?"

"Three," I say.

"Gotcha," he says, tapping away at the keyboard of his computer. "How does the penthouse sound? Top floor, perfect view of the ocean, and three bedrooms."

Jess gasps and nudges me. "Yes!" she whispers, loud enough for pretty much everyone in the lobby to hear. "Tell him 'yes'!"

I clear my throat and nod. "Yes," I say. "That will be fine." I look back at Jess, who seems positively thrilled, hopping in place. "I like the old Jess better," I joke.

Jess stops and glares at me. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she growls.

"Hey, there she is!" I grin. She just folds her arms and glares at me.

Darius looks intently out the door of the lobby. He slowly takes his bag off his back and hands it to Jess. "Here, take my bag upstairs, please," he says, seemingly entranced. Jess frowns, but takes his bag. Darius walks out the door, leaving the three of us behind, confused.

I take my bag off and hand it to Jess too. "Hey!" she growls. "Do I look like a bellhop?!" I ignore her and head after Darius. As I leave through the doors, I hear the hotel clerk tell Jess the keys are ready and Jess yell in anger, followed by the sound of all our bags hitting the floor.

I spot Darius off in the distance, disappearing down a hill toward the beach. When I reach the hill, Darius is nowhere to be seen. I see a few people playing in the ocean, a few sunbathers, and a man playing fetch with his Poochyena. Just off to the left of me, I see the little thicket of trees I noticed earlier. I head toward it, wondering if Darius went in there. I enter and look around. Just entering it feels surprisingly cozy, like a little hideaway from the world. It is shaded from the sun, with enough space to comfortably walk through. The ocean waves wash through the large roots, soaking my shoes. I find myself wondering if any Pokémon live in here, when out of the corner of my eye, I spot a glimpse of Darius' shirt. I slowly make my way toward him. He is sitting on a large root, staring off into the trees. I move up to him and gently place a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" I ask.

He jumps, startled. He looks at me, then sighs. "Yeah, I'm all right," he says. "I just wanted to be alone for a bit. Clear my head."

"I can go, if you want," I say.

Darius shakes his head. "Nah, come and sit." He scoots aside, making room on the root for me. I sit and we look off into the trees together. He then starts talking. "You know, this journey has changed my perspective on life. Growing up as some spoiled rich brat, I thought nothing could touch me. I was going to live forever." He looks up to the sky. "That's all changed. I now know nothing lasts forever." I start wondering where he is going with this, but then he confirms my guess. "I found him in a grotto similar to this, you know. Little Pachi. He was so full of life when I found him. I just knew I had to catch him." He lets out a short laugh. "It was funny. We were in Iccirus City, when it suddenly started snowing. Pachirisu looked so surprised, like he had never seen snow before! He started rolling around in it, throwing it in the air, even eating it. He got so excited, he sent electric shocks through the snow, zapping me and a nearby couple." Darius laughs, then he looks at me. He has tears in his eyes. "I miss him, dude. Why did he have to die? Was it because I didn't train him enough? Is this… is this my fault?" He buries his face into his hands and cries.

I gently put an arm around him. He cries for a couple minutes, as I just try to comfort him. "It's not your fault," I say. "Pachirisu was brave. He stood against a deity and did not back down. He was a hero, and so are you."

Darius wipes his eyes. "I don't feel like one," he says.

"Don't worry," I assure. "The pain will pass. It just takes time."

"How would you know?" Darius scoffs. I remove my arm from his shoulder and just look at the ground. Darius looks at me and sighs. "Oh man, I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean that. Forgive me."

"It's okay," I say.

Suddenly, we hear a rustle within the trees. We both perk up, instinctively reaching for our Pokéballs. Through the trees, a familiar black and white Pokémon appears. Darius gasps. "That's it," he whispers. "That's… that's Absol!" He wipes his eyes and grabs one of his Pokéballs. "You're not getting away from me this time."

I furrow my brows. I swear it is the same one I saw on Mount Pyre, which I swore was the same one we released outside Mauville. Is that even possible? There is no way, because if it is… well, perhaps this Pokémon's reputation is well-deserved.

Darius puts out a Pokéball and throws it down. His Prinplup pops out and stands firm in front of Absol. Absol growls, but from my perspective, it also appears to be smiling. Darius points his finger. "Prinplup, use Drill Peck!"

Prinplup leaps into the air. He spins rapidly, then dives toward Absol. Absol leaps out of the way, dodging the attack. It then retaliates by swiping its long curved horn. It glows and a blade-like beam flies toward Prinplup. Prinplup smacks it away with his flipper, then leaps into the air. "Hydro Pump now!" Prinplup opens his beak and a powerful stream of water shoots toward Absol. It slams into Absol's side, surprising the Pokémon. It rolls in the water, leaps back to its feet, and shakes itself off. It leaps at Prinplup, claws out. Prinplup tries to dodge, but gets clawed across his side. Absol then swings its horn around, catching Prinplup by surprise. Prinplup gets knocked back into a tree and slumps to the ground.

"Come on, Prinplup!" Darius shouts. "Let's not let Absol get away!"

Prinplup gets back to his feet. He and Absol stare each other down. Absol slowly circles Prinplup, as if stalking a prey, while Prinplup stands his ground. Finally, Absol leaps at Prinplup, fangs bared. "Prinplup, Metal Claw!" Prinplup pulls a flipper back and slams it into Absol's face. Absolg gets knocked back and hits a tree. As it struggles to get back to its feet, Darius pulls out a unique looking ball. It is a midnight blue with a yellow crescent moon design.

"I got this from Kurt, back in Olivine City," Darius says. "I've been saving it for this moment, for when I finally found you!"

Absol gets back to its feet, then it does the unbelievable; it bows to Darius. Darius stops for a moment, surprised. He takes Prinplup's ball. "Prinplup, return," he says. Prinplup gets pulled back into his ball. He then slowly approaches the feline Pokémon. Absol raises its head and looks at Darius. Darius reaches out and gently strokes the Pokémon's fur. Absol stands there, letting him pet it. Darius smiles, then laughs. "It's like it wants to come with me," he says. "Crono, you think so?"

I fold my arms across my chest and smile. "I do," I say with a nod.

Darius holds up the Moon Ball. "Are you ready?" he asks. Darius steps back and throws the ball, hitting Absol in the side. The Pokémon gets pulled in. The ball drops into the water, wobbles a few times, then clicks, creating the seal. Darius walks over and picks up the ball. "I… I've done it…" he says, struggling to contain his overwhelming joy. "I've really done it. I finally caught one!" Darius holds the ball out to show me and grins. "I caught an Absol!"

I laugh. "Congratulations, buddy!" I say. "You deserve it!"

Darius looks at the Moon Ball with his freshly caught Pokémon. "Let's go do some training!"

Darius and I return to the hotel. We go up to the penthouse and upon entering the room, we find Jess and Jaws getting massages, manicures, pedicures, and facials. We both stop, stunned at the sight. Jess looks at us with surprise, her face covered in some green goop. Jaws ignores us, clearly enjoying the luxurious treatment provided by the hotel staff. He coolly sips from his glass, his face covered in the same green stuff. Darius and I raise our eyebrows.

"Don't look at me like that!" Jess growls. "I'm on vacation!"

"Um… we… we're just gonna go train… or something…" Darius stammers as he slowly backs out the door. I just nod and follow Darius.

"You do that," Jess says and goes back to enjoying herself.

We head outside and find ourselves an open field. Darius and I stand opposite of each other, ready for training. I realize this will be the first time we have ever faced each other in battle. Since it is just a training match, I figure it would be best to not try to destroy each other, but going easy will not do much good either. I will need to find a good balance.

Darius grabs his Moon Ball and tosses it. Absol pops out and shakes its fur. Darius shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at me. "So, which Pokémon shall come out first?" he asks.

I fiddle with my Pokéballs. Obviously, Jaws is out of the question, since he would rather get his nails done than train. I think about Brawny, but I believe he is plenty strong and does not need any training at this moment. Exeggutor could use some training, but he is a little aloof and quite frankly, would rather not deal with him right now. Skarmory is still a little young, so I choose Dunsparce. I have not used her much and figure she could use some training. I take her ball and toss it. She pops out and flits her little wings.

Darius frowns. "Seriously?" he asks. "This is the 'Disaster Pokémon' here. Give him a challenge!"

"Him?" I ask quizzically.

Darius nods. "Yep," he says. "From this angle, it is quite clearly male." I groan.

"Well, I think Dunsparce will do just fine," I say. "She needs training too."

Darius shrugs. "All right," he says. "Absol, show me what you got! Use Night Slash!"

Absol leaps at Dunsparce. He bears his claws and swipes at Dunsparce. Dunsparce rolls to the side and flops around.

"Dunsparce, use Dig!" I command. Dunsparce drills into the ground with her tail and disappears.

Darius watches intently, as well as Absol. The air goes quiet for a moment, then suddenly, Dunsparce bursts from the ground beneath Absol. She slams into Absol, knocking him into the air. Absol flips, and lands on his feet, then retaliates. He sinks his teeth into the back of Dunsparce. Dunsparce flails around, forcing Absol to let go and leap back. Dunsparce flops to the ground and faces off with Absol.

"Absol, Psycho Cut!" Darius shouts.

"Dunsparce, use Flail!" I order.

The two Pokémon clash as Absol swings his horn at Dunsparce. She flops and flails about, bringing her tail around to strike Absol's horn. The two Pokémon attacks bounce off each other. Darius nods impressively.

"Not bad," he says. "This is a good Pokémon. And your Dunsparce is definitely doing well."

"Thanks," I say.

"Let's keep going!" Darius says excitedly.

We spend several hours training our Pokémon. Darius teaches me many things, like type advantage (some were obvious, some not so much), how to take advantage of terrain features, and different strategies. We even try doing Double Battles, which brought in a whole new world of strategies. I start getting the hang of battling and come to find a sort of excitement in them. I still dislike battles, but since starting this journey, I have come to appreciate them, realizing that at times, knowing how to battle is necessary. I just hope that once this journey is over, battling will no longer be necessary for me. Only time will tell.

By the time the sun starts setting, we are all famished and fatigued. We feed our Pokémon and take them to the Pokémon Center to heal them up before heading back to the hotel. Once we get back to the room, we enter to find Jess and Jaws bumming on the couch, staring at the television. Jess does not even look at us when we enter. "I didn't know when you guys would be back," she says, "so I took the liberty of ordering pizza."

"That actually sounds great," I say.

Darius looks at me, then himself. "We should probably get cleaned up first." We laugh.

We enjoy a relaxing evening of pizza, television, and idle chat. I give Liz a call and update her on our whereabouts. She informs me that Mother is doing well on her radio show, which is hitting an all-time ratings high. She is enjoying great fame for her energetic personality and has acquired quite the fan base. We talk for a while, then hang up. I let Jess know that she says "hi" and is glad to hear she is doing well. I then call Mother, just so she will not worry. After the phone calls, I prepare for bed. Out on the couch, Jaws is slouched, passed out. I gently pick him up and carry him to my bed. I lay him down, pull the covers over him, then climb in on the other side. I lay in bed, thoughts of space travel flitting across my mind. I am highly curious to what the shuttle team discovered during their mission. Despite space travel not even being a thought back in the day, now that I know more about it, it has really piqued my interest.

I awake to a loud knock on the door. I rub my eyes, climb out of bed, and trod to the door. As I open the bedroom door, Darius comes barreling down the hall. "I got it!" he yells cheerfully. I leap back into my room to avoid being slammed into. Darius throws the door open and finds a bellhop with a wheeled cart full of food.

"Breakfast is served, sir," the bellhop says.

Darius salivates as he hands the guy a tip. The bellhop takes it graciously, gives a little bow, and walks off. Darius pulls the cart inside and pushes it to the common room. He moves the trays of food to the table. I head into the common room, a sleepy Jaws trudging behind me. I quickly check my Pokégear. It reads "7:11am" and suddenly, I am surprised.

"Darius, being a morning person?" I ask.

Darius grins at me. "I found out this town has a gym," he says. "I'm going to challenge it!" Suddenly, his cheery nature makes sense.

Jess comes out of her room in a big fluffy robe. She sees the spread on the table and her eyes light up. She sits down and starts digging in. Jaws and I sit as well and start picking things we want. Darius looks at Jess and grins. "Eat up!" he says.

As we eat, Darius' cheerful demeanor spreads. We all talk happily with each other, talking about the Space Center, the Mossdeep Gym, and the Hoenn region. The food is amazing, except this weird bowl of rubbery noodle-like things. Jess describes them as peanut butter fried Tentacruel tentacles. Darius tries one and gags. I try one and while the flavor is decent, the slimy texture is too weird for my tastes. Jaws refuses to try any, which surprises me; if Jaws does not want to eat something, it probably is not edible. Jess shrugs. "More for me, then!" she says as she reaches across the table for the bowl.

Once we have had our fill, I offer to clean off the table, but Darius shakes his head. "The maids will do that," he says. "This is the penthouse, after all."

I shrug and nod. I head to my room and get dressed, brush my teeth, and organize my stuff for the day. Jaws jumps on the bed while I organize my stuff and I just laugh at his childish antics. Once I finish, I decide to join him and we jump on the bed together. I laugh and Jaws grins and together, we have a grand childish time. Jaws does a spin, accidentally swinging his large jaw into my legs, causing me to fall. I hit the bed, landing on my back, and I bounce around. I grab Jaws and pull him down with me. His eyes go wide with surprise and he crashes into my chest. I laugh and he laughs silently, my special mute pal, my buddy, my friend.

Darius opens the door and peeks his head in. "You ready to go?" he asks.

I set Jaws onto the floor and sit up. "Yeah, we're ready."

Darius furrows his brow, eyeing our very messy bed. "Were you guys jumping on the bed?" he asks. I just shrug and grin.

I slip my shoes on and the four of us head out. We follow Darius, who seems to know the way to the gym. Once we arrive, Darius grins, his fists on his hips. "I wonder what kind of gym this one is?" he asks. "I am prepared for anything!"

Jess walks over and reads the sign. After reading it, he looks back at Darius. "'Tate and Liza'? This gym has two leaders?" she asks, scratching her head. "Is that legal?"

Darius frowns. "Double battles were very popular in Kalos, and Unova started doing triple battles," he explains. "I don't see any reason for there to not be a gym that specializes in doubles."

"Triple battles?" I ask.

"Each trainer sends out three Pokémon," Darius explains, "or three trainers team up against another team of three. They can get quite intense."

"So, are we going to challenge this?" I ask.

"Actually, if you don't mind…" Darius says, trailing off. He looks at Jess and takes her hand. Jess looks at him, surprised. "Would you like to be my partner in this gym?"

"Wait, what?" Jess looks surprised. "You two trained for hours. Why me?"

Darius leans in and whispers something into her ear I cannot make out. Jess listens for a moment, then gasps and slaps Darius, her face beat red. "What kind of girl do you take me for?!" she growls. She frowns, crossing her arms, then looks at the ground, still red in the face. "…okay, let's do it."

Darius rubs his cheek and grins. "Sweet, let's go!"

I stand there, watching them enter the gym, positively baffled at what I just witnessed. What did Darius say to her? The world may never know. Jaws tugs at my shorts, eager to go inside. We enter the doors and suddenly feel like we just stepped into a rave. Laser lights shine everywhere, the arena is outlined in neon lights, and off to the side, a strobe light flashes. Loud electronic techno music plays overhead. The whole place is headache-inducing and I am suddenly glad I am not the one battling in here. Darius and Jess, however, appear unfazed by it all, and I wonder if they used to frequent places like this.

Off to the sides, several trainers practice their double battle strategies. In the center of the arena, two girls stand back-to-back, eyes closed. The music then suddenly changes, and like clockwork, the trainers that were once battling each other, turned onto the two girls in the center. Their Pokémon launched attacks at them relentlessly, firing beams of psychic energy and other various attacks. The girls, eyes still closed, gracefully dodged every attack, moving in sync with each other in what looked more like they were dancing rather than dodging attacks. Finally, the music changes back, and all the trainers and Pokémon go back to their training.

"Well, that was… different," I say. Jaws just stares blankly. I am certain that if he could speak, he would have nothing to say.

Darius approaches the two girls. Before he could say anything, the girls speak in unison. "You wish to challenge us," they say. They open their eyes and move so they are side-by-side. Now that they are standing next to each other, I can see they are actually identical twins! No wonder they are gym leaders together.

"We are Tate…" the one on the left says.

"…and Liza," the other says. I notice that Tate has her black hair pulled up into a bun, while Liza's hair was let down. That makes it easy to tell them apart.

"Were you surprised that there are two gym leaders?" they say in union.

"Actually…" Darius starts, but the girls interrupt him.

"Yes, you were," they say. "It is because we are twins!"

"We don't need to talk because…" Tate begins.

"…we can determine what…" Liza continues.

"…the other is thinking…" Tate continues.

"…all in our minds!" Liza finishes.

The four of us just look at them incredulously. "That is annoying," Darius mutters. Jess and I nod in agreement.

"We can also read the minds of our opponent!" they say. "Think you can beat us?"

"We wouldn't be here if we didn't!" Darius says. "Are you ready, Jess?"

Jess grabs a Pokéball. "As ready as ever!"

Darius and Jess toss their Pokéballs. Darius' Prinplup comes out, along with Jess' Mightyena. Tate and Liza toss their Pokéballs together, and two new Pokémon pop out, ones I have never seen before. Tate's Pokémon is a tan color and looks like a crescent moon with big eyes. Liza's looks like a rock shaped like a sun, with sleepy eyes.

Jess grins. "This should be easy," she says. "Those are both rock and psychic types!" Darius does not say anything. He just looks on with determined jade eyes. "Go Mightyena! Use Crunch on the Solrock!"

"Prinplup, Hydro Pump, also on the Solrock!" Darius commands.

Mightyena charges toward Solrock. He leaps at the Pokémon, when suddenly, the moon Pokémon hovers in front of Mightyena. It emits some psychic waves, and I recognize it is using Hypnosis. Mightyena skids to a halt and hits the ground, asleep. The moon Pokémon then immediately throws up a barely visible wall as the stream of water reaches Solrock. The water bounces harmlessly off the wall, away from Solrock. From behind the wall, Solrock starts glowing, pulling in energy.

"Well, that was stupid," Jess grumbles. "Come on, Mightyena, wake up!"

"This doesn't look good," Darius says. "Jess, bring out your best. I'll bring out mine, and we'll get them with our speed. Plus Solrock is charging up a Solarbeam. It'll wipe out our current Pokémon.

"Got it!" she says. "Come Mightyena!" She pulls Mightyena back into her ball, while Darius follows suit with Prinplup. They throw two other Pokéballs and their magnificent birds, Talonflame and Articuno, come out. Articuno fills the air with a sweet melody as I marvel at the sight of them together; fire and ice, rising together in harmony. It is beautiful.

Tate and Liza look a bit surprised at the sight of such a rare bird, and in doing so, let their guard down. Darius and Jess waste no time. Articuno unleashes a powerful Blizzard attack, showing both opposing Pokémon with a whipping wind of ice shards. Talonflame unleashes a torrent of flames, and the two attacks whip together in a furious hurricane of fire and ice. The two rock Pokémon get beaten, but stand firm, withstanding the brutal assault. Finally, Solrock finishes charging its attack and fires a massive green beam at Talonflame. The bird gets caught in the blast, taking the beam straight to the chest. She shrieks in surprise and pain and gets knocked back, but catches herself midair and stays up. The moon Pokémon's eyes glow bright and the room begins to warp around us. Everything appears to turn upside down, throwing everyone but the gym leaders and their Pokémon off balance. Poor Jaws looks at me, face turning pale, like he is about to get sick. What kind of weird power is this?

"Crap, this is not good," Darius says. "Lunatone just used Trick Room."

"Grrrr, our speed is useless now," Jess growls. "We need to hit that Lunatone! It's providing support for Solrock!"

"Good call," Darius says. "Let's smash that rock into dust! Talonflame, Steel Wing on Lunatone!"

"Articuno, use Ice Beam on Lunatone!" Jess commands.

Lunatone throws up another invisible wall to block the beam of ice, but Talonflame's barrage of steel feathers pierce right through it. Lunatone gets pushed back, but withstands the attack. Solrock suddenly disappears, then reappears behind Articuno. Jess calls out to warn her precious burn, but it is too late. Solrock unleashes a brilliant stream of flame at Articuno, hitting her in the back. Articuno falls to the ground, feathers charred, but somehow, the bird manages to get back up. I am amazed at this bird's resilience, despite this being the second time I have seen it take a point blank shot of fire and survived, despite its ice type.

Darius looks back at Jess. "That Lunatone is tough, but if we can blast it down, we can get to Solrock!"

"With Trick Room in place, I don't think Articuno will make it," Jess says. "She's tough, but even she can't take two fire attacks back to back."

"We have to try," Darius says, fist clenched. "We can't give up."

"I should have trained with you yesterday," Jess says. "I'm only holding you back."

"Nonsense!" Darius shouts. "We got this! You aim for Solrock. Lunatone is trying to protect it, so if you focus on Solrock, Lunatone will be forced to react, leaving me open to pummel it with Steel Wing. Got it?" Jess nods with renewed confidence. "Good! Talonflame, use Steel Wing again, on Lunatone!"

"Articuno, use Ice Beam on Solrock!" Jess commands.

Both birds attempt to launch their attacks, but with the Trick Room in place, it appears they are flying through molasses. Darius and Jess both look frustrated, but stand firm. What else could they do? Lunatone, as predicted, floats in from of Solrock and throws up the invisible wall to block Ice Beam. It then moves away, dodging the steel feathers from Talonflame. As it moves out of the way, Solrock fires another stream of flame at Articuno. Articuno is engulfed, screaming out in pain, and drops to the ground, unconscious. Jess looks genuinely heartbroken as she pulls her into her ball. Darius tosses her a look of empathy.

"It's okay," he says. "We got this."

Jess grumbles and pulls out another ball. I am expecting to see her massive Wailord, but instead, her little Electrike pops out. Jess looks surprised herself. "Dammit!" she spits. The timid little Pokémon shrieks and runs behind Jess' legs. Jess grumbles, then kneels down and tries soothing it. "I'm sorry for getting mad, but we could use your help," she says. "I know you can do this!"

Jess' words seem to settle the Pokémon down and it cautiously enters the arena. The twins smile mischievously and for a second, it seems I can hear exactly what they are thinking: *target Electrike.*

Solrock shifts, zipping toward Electrike. Talonflame tries to move quickly to swoop in front of her vulnerable ally, but the Trick Room effect causes her to move way too slow. Lunatone moves to intercept Talonflame. Solrock hovers in front of Electrike, and the timid creature quivers in fear. Solrock begins to glow brightly, energy warping around it. Jess clenched her fists tightly.

"Electrike, you can do it!" she shouts. "Now Thunderbolt that rock into oblivion!"

Electrike cowers, shivering, but as the sound of Jess' voice, the little Pokémon opens her eyes. A wave of confidence washes over her, and she charges up her electric attack. Just before Solrock could unleash its attack, Electrike lets loose with a massive bolt of lightning. It arcs through the air and pierces through Solrock. Solrock spasms from being electrocuted and slowly falls to the ground. It lands on the ground, unmoving.

"Yes!" Jess shouts. "Great job!"

The twins look shocked. "No way!" they say in union.

Darius throws his fist into the air. "Now let's take out Lunatone! Go Talonflame! Steel Wing!"

"Electrike, use Thunderbolt again!" Jess commands.

Electrike, moved by renewed confidence, runs toward the moon-shaped rock. Talonflame unleashes a barrage of steel feathers, while Electrike fires a bolt of lightning. Lunatone, looking confused, spins around in a circle, until it gets pummeled by both attacks. It stiffens, then drops to the ground like a stone. Tate and Liza gasp in surprise and pull their unconscious Pokémon back into their balls.

Darius and Jess cheer. They leap into the air, high fiving each other. Jess turns to the twin girls and points her finger at them. "Yeah! Suck it!" she shouts. The whole room suddenly falls silent and looks at Jess. She looks around and frowns. "What are you all staring at?" Darius looks at Jess with a smirk, intrigued.

"Our unbeatable combination…" Tate says.

"…has been beaten!" Liza finishes.

"You both have done well," Tate says.

"We confer this badge to you both," Liza says.

The two girls each extend a hand, both containing a single badge. Darius and Jess proudly take the badges. Darius opens his badge case and adds it to his growing collection of badges. Jess, however, holds it in her hand, looking at it, and a tear rolls down her cheek. Darius and I approach her, placing our hands on her shoulder. She instinctively reels from our touch, but then relaxes, and allows us to keep our hands in place. She looks at us and quickly wipes the tear. "What are you two looking at?" she grumbles, trying to keep up the tough girl act. "Never see a girl win her first badge before?"

I smile at her. "You did great," I say. "Congratulations!"

"You made a wonderful partner!" Darius says. "I wouldn't want anyone else!" Darius glances at me. "Er… no offense."

I just smile. "None taken," I say sincerely.

Jaws tugs at Jess' shorts and she looks down. He smiles at her, then hugs her leg. Jess chuckles and takes in the love.

Suddenly, little Electrike begins to yip. She barks loudly, leaping into the air. She goes into a frenzy, running around in circles. Jess panics and tries to calm her down. "Whoa, hey, what's wrong?" she asks frantically. Electrike just yips louder, then quickly changes and starts whimpering. She ducks her head and starts backing away, reverting back to her timid and terrified self. Jess goes after her, but then the fur on Electrike's body begins to charge with static. Sparks shoot off, raining on the ground around her. Her body starts to grow, her legs and neck extending. The mane on her head sparks with lightning and it sticks up into the air. Her fur spikes upward, lightning running across her body. Finally, in a burst of electricity, her fur changes to blue and gold, and Electrike lets out a powerful howl. Electrike stands before us, changed, no longer small and meek, but now powerful and full of confidence.

"Whoa…" Darius says in awe.

Jess cautiously approaches the newly evolved creature. "El… Electrike?" she says softly. "No… now you're Manectric! You… you look amazing!"

Manectric looks at Jess and for a moment, I think she does not recognize her. Then Manectric leaps at Jess and starts licking her face. The static causes Jess' hair to stick up, but Jess looks happy, stroking her mane. "I'm so proud of you!" she says.

Just then, the doors of the gym burst open. We are temporarily blinded by the sudden burst of sunlight. I squint and see the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway. He walks in and as my eyes adjust, I can see that we are being approached by none other than Steven. He is dressed in a dark blue suit with a dark red tie; same colors as yesterday, just a darker shade. I assume they are his favorite colors. When the twins see him, they lose their composure and start swooning.

"Mr. Stone!" the girls squeal in union.

Steven smiles at them and they squeal again. He turns his eyes to us. "I thought I would find you guys here," he says. "Come quick. We're going back to the Scape Center. Our team has made a remarkable discovery!"

We follow Steven to the Space Center, where people are bustling about amid the recent return of the shuttle. Excited chatter fills the place, with people rushing from place to place. They must have made an amazing discovery to have everyone this excited. Steven guides us back to the observation room, where several other people are waiting, as well as a camera crew. A cart covered with a blanket sits by the window. I assume that is the "remarkable discovery".

"Gabby, Ty," Steven says. "Ready when you are."

A woman with a microphone walks over, looks at the man with the camera, and gives the thumbs up. She stands next to Steven and holds the mike up to her mouth. "Good morning, Hoenn!" Gabby begins. "Gabby here, reporting live from the Space Center in Mossdeep City! I am here today with everyone's favorite League Champion, Steven Stone, in light of the return of the Altaria IV space shuttle! As you all know, the Altaria IV's mission was to fly to a nearby asteroid and explore. Mr. Stone here has invited us to share what was discovered! Mr. Stone."

Gabby holds the mike out for Steven. "Greetings, Hoenn!" he says. "The Altaria IV team is certainly remarkable in accomplishing this fantastic achievement. As we all know, six months ago, the Alteria IV team launched off into the unknown. They landed on the asteroid DNA-386, conducted exploration and mining operations, and have brought back many samples. Among those samples were some truly amazing finds." Steven gestures to the cart. "Beneath this sheet lies some of the things the Alteria IV team brought back with them."

The cameraman moves closer and gets a close-up of the cart. Steven grips the sheet, lingers for dramatic effect, then pulls the sheet off. On the cart lies numerous stones, surrounding a small metal dome. The audience "oohs" and "ahhs". Steven beams.

"The samples brought back were spectacular!" Steven exclaims. "We learned that the asteroid was comprised mostly of iron, with some precious metals mixed in, like gold and platinum. However, this was expected, considering that is what our planet comprises of. What was truly remarkable is what is under this cover." Steven brings his hand to the cover and, again pausing for dramatic effect, lifts the cover. Underneath are some semi-transparent stones that appear to radiate a soft light. They are very pretty.

"Uh… aren't those just Moon Stones?" Darius asks.

Steven's eyes light up. "Precisely!" he exclaims. "To you, these are just ordinary Moon Stones, used to evolve Pokémon like Clefairy and Skitty. But the fact is, these stones were found on the asteroid, which means…"

"Moon Stones came from space!" Darius shouts.

"Perhaps!" Steven responds. "That's the exciting thing! The conditions in which these stones are formed can now be studied! Before, we thought they may have come from our moon. Now, we have a better understanding. The asteroid belt is leftovers from when the solar system was formed. If these asteroids have Moon Stones, then it means these things formed way back then, and perhaps that is why they contain the radiation needed for evolution. Which brings us to our next question: what about life outside this planet?" Steven replaces the metal cover. "That is our next endeavor. We shall attempt to find life outside our own little world. It is a big universe, and we intend to discover all its secrets!"

"Positively astounding, Steven!" Gabby exclaims. "I expected nothing less from our beloved Champion! I am Gabby and thank you for watching! Until next time!" The audience applauds.

"And cut!" Ty says. "Great work, as always!"

Gabby turns to Steven. "Thank you for the exclusive," she says. "I was hoping for something a little more… wow, but this will do."

"I can only present what I am given," Steven says. "Hopefully our next mission will be more fruitful."

Gabby and Ty pack their things and head out of the observation deck with the crowd. Soon, it is just us four and Steven, who begins getting his cart ready to go. We approach him. "So that was all, huh?" Darius asks. "Not very exciting."

"So where's the cool stuff?" Jess demands.

Steven looks at them quizzically. "What do you mean?" he asks as he pushes the cart out of the observatory. "This is it. Asteroid samples and Moon Stones."

"Oh come on," Jess says, rolling her eyes. "We know that this cart only contains the stuff releasable to the public. I want to see the classified stuff!"

"Come now, Jess," I say. "Even if there was classified stuff, it's probably just stuff that has strong magnetic properties or radiation. If it was of extreme importance, they wouldn't hide it from us. They're not Silph, Co."

"You are absolutely right," Steven says. "Devon Corporation has only the well-being of humanity at heart. If the people need to know about it, we will let them know!" He stops in front of a door marked "Laboratory - Restricted Area".

"Well, I appreciate you inviting us to this," I say. "It was quite interesting."

"A pleasure, for sure," he says.

"I still think it was kind of lame," Darius grumbles.

Steven sighs. "Right you are," he says. "I find it quite interesting, being an avid collector of rare stones. I suppose for the average person, rare stones would be boring. For example, asteroid rocks." He holds up several chunks of asteroid in his hand.

Darius perks up. "Those are from the asteroid?" he asks.

Steven nods. "I was thinking of giving you each one as a way of saying 'thanks'," he says, "but if you think rocks are boring, I suppose I could just keep them for myself."

Darius eyes the asteroids. "Well, I don't want to be rude by refusing a gift," he says coyly. "I am Kalosian. We're known for our politeness."

"HA!" Jess laughs.

Steven smiles and hands us each one. "Very well, enjoy!" he says. Jaws looks up at Steven with pleading eyes. Steven laughs and hands one to Jaws too, who takes it excitedly.

From within the laboratory, a low rumble resounds through the walls. I furrow my brow and look around. "What was that?" I ask.

Steven looks around too. "Hmm… I don't know," he says. Another rumble shakes the walls and ceiling. "I better check it out. You all take care, and thanks again!"

A chorus of screams pierce the walls. Steven swiftly pulls an access card out, swipes it across the reader, and pulls the door open. Just as he does, a woman in a lab coat runs out. We move aside just in time as she runs past us. A moment later, a blinding beam of light shoots out. The beam hits the woman in the back, piercing right through her, erupting out her chest. Her scream suddenly stops and her body drops to the floor, dead.

We stare in horror at what just happened. A drop of sweat runs down Steven's brow. He looks at us with hard, cold eyes. "Go," he says. "Get out of here. Now!" He charges through the door. Just as the door closes behind him, I hear the distinctive pop of a Pokéball opening, followed by the low roar of an unknown Pokémon and a loud thud. The sounds of a fierce battle erupt from behind the door.

I run to the woman. I stick my fingers on her neck, but I feel no pulse. She is most definitely dead. I stand up, staring at the terrible wound. "What… could have done this?" I ask, my voice trembling.

Darius pulls on my arm. "We need to go," he says.

Just then, a crew of medical personnel rush down the hallway. One stops to check the woman, sees the hole in her body, and promptly vomits. Being careful not to slip in the growing pool of blood, the medics carefully pick her body up and places it on a stretcher. Two carry the body off quickly, while the rest move to enter the lab.

"Wait, it's not safe!" I say, but they ignore me. The leader swipes his card, opens the door, and they rush in. Darius, with a sly look on his face, grabs the door before it closes, and we follow him in. We enter to a terrible sight. The lab has been destroyed, and I feel a twinge of familiarity; it looks similar to the destruction we saw in the Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island, only this is all too fresh. People's bodies are strewn across the lab. Some are moving and injured, but many of them are very much dead. I find myself empathizing with the medic before, struggling not to vomit.

Jess' eyes go wide. "This… is horrible," she whispers. Darius just stands there, unable to speak. Jaws stands in front of me, horrified, but ready to protect me.

The medical personnel move quick, dodging pools of blood and broken body parts to get to those who still have a chance. Amid the darkness of the ruined lab, I see Steven, lit by a beam of light projecting through a large hole in the roof, on his knees, looking in horror at a large silver four-legged Pokémon. He places a hand upon it and looks to the floor. I carefully step toward him. He does not move, his eyes remaining on the floor.

"I am the Hoenn Champion," he says, "and even I could not stop it." He looks at his giant Pokémon. "Metagross… I am sorry."

I look at him empathetically. "What happened here?" I ask.

Steven keeps his eyes on Metagross. "He's not dead, thankfully," he says quietly, almost a whisper. "but he's not responding to the Max Revive. I… don't know what to do." He looks up at us with sad eyes. "For the first time in my life, I don't know what to do."

"Put him in his Pokéball," Darius says. "He will be safe in there until you can get to the Pokémon Center."

Steven nods and rises to his feet. "Of course," he says. He pulls Metagross into his ball. I notice Darius let out a sigh of relief. The poor guy, worried he would have to relive that day again…

"So what happened?" I demand.

Steven turns to us, a stern look in his eyes. "That is classified," he says.

"Classified?!" I shout. "People are dead! There is a massive hole in the roof! Whatever happened here is now out there! What is it are we dealing with?!"

Steven frowns at me. From behind us, I hear the raspy voice of a man struggling to hold on. "Stop," he says. The man, covered in a blood-stained tattered lab coat, with a tourniquet around his severed leg, looks at us with dark eyes. "Stop… it…"

"What is it?" I ask.

"That's enough," Steven says.

"No!" The man coughs and spits out a mouthful of blood. "They need to know!" He looks at us with a cold hard stare. "It was… a monster. On the asteroid… *cough cough* …we found… an organism. We found… a virus. It was astounding!" He coughs more. "We experimented… but when the beam of radiation hit it… it mutated!"

"Wait a second," I say. "You find an extraterrestrial organism on that asteroid, and your first inclination is to shoot it with a laser?!"

The man laughs. "Foolish, I know…" he says. "…but all life on… our planet responds to radiation. We had… *cough cough* …to see if it would too."

"Well, it sure as hell did!" I shout angrily.

"Now calm down," Steven says.

"No!" I shout. "I will NOT calm down! When will you people learn not to screw with nature?! When will you realize you are not God? How many more people must die for your stupidity?! Devon Corporation… you're no better than Silph!"

I storm out. Behind me, I hear Jess and Darius give Steven some choice words before following me out. I burst outside, fuming. My heart aches for the lives lost here and my mind rages furiously. The burning question in my head is: why cannot people just leave the natural world alone? Why must they keep trying to mess with it? Why do they think they can make things better? From what I have seen, all it does is bring pain and suffering. It needs to stop.

"So what do you have planned?" Darius asks behind me.

"Whatever it is, count us in," Jess says.

I feel Jaws tug at my shorts. He looks at me with hopeful eyes. I look down at the ground.

"I actually have nothing," I say. "If a Champion cannot stop it, how can we?"

"Because he is just one person," Darius says. "We have each other. Certainly, you're not just going to sit by and let that thing run amok? All those people out there…"

I take a deep breath. Darius is right. We have to try, even if it means failing. I turn to them. "Then let's go," I say. I pull out Skarmory's ball. "We may not succeed, but if we just sit by and let it destroy our world, then how can we live with ourselves?"

I release Skarmory, and Darius and Jess follow suit. I look at Jaws with his Luxury Ball. He nods and I pull him in. We look at each other. My heart pounds at the thought of this being the end, but we definitely cannot ignore this. We take off. Just as we take off into the air, Steven steps outside, emboldened by our actions. He looks up at us. "Stop!" he says.

"We're doing this, with or without you!" I say. "I am fed up with human arrogance in thinking they can screw with nature."

"I understand your anger," Steven says, "but charging head on into a battle with an unknown foe will only get you killed."

"We're going, regardless," I say.

Steven sighs. "I see I cannot convince you otherwise," he says. "Then go out and scout for the thing. I will gather the gym leaders out here, along with the Elite Four. When you find it, you report back to me. My number is 555-1337. Report to me, then get out of there. Don't go being a hero!"

I glare at him, but I put his number into my Pokégear. "Fine, but you get them together quickly," I say. "The longer we take, the more damage it causes." With that, we take off, leaving a disgruntled Steven behind.


	16. Chapter 16: Cataclysm

The damage to the Space Center is clear from above Mossdeep City. A giant hole in the roof of the building, debris scattered across the ground, and people running about in a panic. The quiet peace of Mossdeep has disappeared. The anger within me seethes. Steven should have known better, being the Hoenn Champion. He said so himself that the safety of Hoenn is his responsibility. How could he allow such irresponsible tinkering with nature? It is just like back in the Pokémon Mansion and their horrid experiments with Mew and Mewtwo. Will humans ever learn?

Darius seems to have telepathy, reading my mind. He pulls Talonflame close to me as we leave Mossdeep and enter the open sea. "Hey, bud," he says calmly. "You should cut them a little slack." When I turn my angry glare at him, he flinches. "Look, I can see you're angry about this. We're all upset. However, if you think about it, it was an honest mistake. Surely they couldn't have known this would happen. And technically, a virus isn't alive. They may have been using the laser to cut through the protein coating so they can study its DNA."

I relax a little. "You know your science," I say.

Darius shrugs. "I've dabbled in microbiology," he says. "The point it, you shouldn't be so upset with them. Mistakes happen, especially in the scientific fields. There is no way they could have known this would happen."

I nod, still upset, but feeling better. Jess pulls Articuno up to the other side of me and smiles. Despite her permanently angry eyebrows, her smile reminds me of Liz and actually makes me feel even better. "Whatever you do, we have your back," she says.

I sigh. I have no idea what I want to do. In one hand, I want to go home. This is Steven's problem, he should handle it. It is his job, after all. In the other hand, I cannot just sit idly by while a dangerous creature is running rampant. I would feel horrible if people died and I just turned my backs on them. We might not be able to stop it, but we can at least try.

Darius looks at me and gives me the thumbs up. I nod, then look at Jess. She nods too. "Then let's find this thing and stop it," I say. "But… we don't even know what it looks like. Where do we start?"

Darius points ahead. "How about we follow the smoke?" he suggests. I look where he is pointing and, sure enough, a pillar of thick smoke flows from Lilycove in the distance. We nod and speed toward Lilycove. As we arrive, we can see emergency personnel rushing about, trying to put out fires and treat injured people. We land, pull our Pokémon into our Pokéballs, and look around. A few houses have been damaged, there is a hole in the side of the Lilycove Department, and part of the roof of the museum has caved in. It is a horrible sight.

One man stands by the museum, unharmed, but clearly in distress. I approach him. "What happened here?" I ask. I already know, but hopefully he can provide details.

The mustached man, appearing to be in his fifties, is dressed in a white shirt, jeans, with an apron covered in what looks like clay. He looks at me with teary eyes. "It was horrible!" he wails. "A monster came and attacked the city! It smashed through my house and the museum!"

"What did it look like?" I ask.

"It was red, with horrible eyes!" he bemoans. "Long arms! Very long arms! It… it took my sculptures! Why would it take my sculptures?"

"Your sculptures?" Darius asks. "That's weird."

The man pulls out his wallet and shows us pictures of his sculptures. The first one is of a Clefary playing with a Moon Stone. Another is of Pikachu holding a Thunder Stone. A third is of a little bulbous Pokémon with three leaves on its head standing on a Sun Stone. Another is of three Eevees, each holding a different evolution stone. I have to admit, they are quite good.

"The monster took these?" I ask.

The man nods. "Why would it do such a thing?" he laments. "Why?"

I suddenly hear a scream coming from within the museum. I take off toward the scream. Peering through a broken window, I see the roof still crumbling, and a man trapped beneath a large chunk of debris. "Hold on, sir, we're coming!" I shout to him. I grab a rock from the ground and smash the remaining glass from the window. I climb through, followed by Darius.

"I'm going to grab a medic!" Jess shouts to us. I nod.

Darius and I rush to the man's side. The massive piece of debris has the man pinned down by his legs. The man groans. "I… I think my legs are crushed…" he says. "I can't feel them anymore."

"We'll get you out of here," I say. Darius and I move to opposite sides of the debris. We stoop down and try to lift it off him. It is insanely heavy and we cannot budge it. I step back. More debris falls on us and Darius looks up.

"We don't have much time," he says. "The roof is falling apart!"

I nod and pull out Brawny's ball. I let him out. He flexes and is about to roar when a chunk of the roof falls and hits him in the head. He rubs his head and looks up. "Brawny!" I say. "Pick this up and get it off the guy!" Brawny stoops down, grips the debris with all four hands and pulls up. As he pulls up, Darius and I grab the guy and drag him away. Brawny grins and tosses the debris aside, smashing it into a very expensive-looking painting. The building starts to rumble.

"Crap!" I say. "Let's get out of here! Brawny, pick this guy up!"

Brawny grabs the guy and we bolt for the window. I leap out, followed by Darius, and finally, Brawny smashes through the wall. We run from the building as it crumbles behind us, the roof completely caving in. I turn around and watch as the museum collapses. I groan. "Brawny, really?" I say.

"Ah, it was coming down anyway," Darius says. Brawny just grins.

Jess arrives with two medics and a stretcher. They set the stretcher down. Brawny walks over and gently places the man on the stretcher. The man groans. His legs are definitely crushed, and I fear he will never walk again. The medics carry him off. I pull Brawny back into his ball.

We walk through the city, looking at the disaster around us. Medical personnel are busy collecting bodies of dead trainers. With not a Pokémon in sight, it appears none of the trainers even had a chance to defend themselves. The attack appears to have been swift, precise, and deadly. Every dead person I see breaks my heart again and again. At least, judging by the wounds on many, the deaths were quick. I pray that is true. I see a woman crying over a man that has been killed. I approach her and gently touch her on her shoulder. She jumps and spins to face me. I look into her eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss," I say sincerely.

The woman sniffs and nods. "Thank you," she says.

"If I may ask, would you happen to see what did this?" I ask.

The woman nods. "It was a terrible monster, red with cold hard eyes," she explains. "It fired some sort of laser, kill… kill… killing my husband." She begins to cry again.

I look at her husband. He had a single hole, right through the chest, where his heart resides. It is clear this creature has already, somehow, attained detailed information on human biology. Looking back, most of the bodies have a single piercing hole right through the heart. We are dealing with a very dangerous alien. But I also noticed that it did not attack everyone. It is like it was choosing its targets…

I look back at the woman. "If I may, what did it do after it attacked?" I ask.

The woman wipes her eyes. "After it… attacked," she starts, "it moved to his body and just… hovered over him. That's it… just hovered. Then it flew into the sky."

I nod. "Which way?" I ask.

She points to the west. "Toward Fortree City," she says. I pull out Skarmory's ball. The three of us release our birds and jump on. The woman watches as we take off. "Please be careful…" I hear her say as we launch into the sky.

I look over at Jess. "Do you know where Fortree City is?" I ask.

Jess nods. "Follow me!" She speeds off in a north-western direction. In the distance, we see dark clouds over a thick forest rising high above the ground. We speed through the air as fast as our birds can carry us. Gradually, the clouds spread and rain begins to fall. Fortunately, the rain is light and we push on. It takes us thirty minutes to reach Fortree City, and if we were not hunting for a brutal alien monster, I would be greatly impressed. The people here have built their homes into the massive trees, living as one with nature. It is a beautiful city, and I am sad we have no time to enjoy it.

We suddenly hear the telltale sounds of a fierce Pokémon battle. Atop one of the trees stands a woman dressed in a sky blue outfit. She stands tall, her finger outstretched. In the air above her, a dark blue bird Pokémon swoops through the air. In the air with the bird, a tall thin red creature with tentacle arms hovers in place. That must be it! That must be the alien!

"Go Swellow!" the woman shouts. "Quick Attack!"

Swellow speeds toward the alien. Just before Swellow makes contact, the alien disappears. Swellow extends its wings and stops in the air quickly. A second later, the alien reappears and slams full force into the bird. As it does this, it appears to change shape! A long horn extends off the back of its head and its body appears sleeker than before. After the attack, its body reverts back just as quickly as it did before. Swellow falls out of the sky. The woman pulls it back into its ball. She frowns, but quickly releases another Pokémon. It is a Skarmory, just like mine.

I look to my friends. "We have to help her!" I say. "Let's go!"

We charge the alien at full speed. Articuno fires a beam of ice at the alien, while Talonflame shoots a stream of flames. The creature gets engulfed in flame and ice. The woman wastes no time and commands her Skarmory to attack. "Steel Wing!" she orders.

Her Skarmory unleashes a barrage of steel feathers that pierce Darius and Jess' attack. I move my Skarmory to join the attack. "Metal Claw!" I command. Skarmory swoops in, claws extended. Just as Skarmory is about to make contact, the flame and ice clear and I see the alien, untouched by any attack. Each steel feather stay suspended in the air around the creature, as if they stuck into an invisible bubble. The alien slowly turns its head and looks at me with dark cold eyes. I try to pull Skarmory away and cancel the attack, but it is too late. The creature creates an explosion around itself. The shockwave expands, pummeling Skarmory. I hear Darius and Jess shout and the shrieks of their Pokémon behind me. Skarmory lets out a bloodcurdling squawk as the shockwave hits him. My body sunders from the attack and Skarmory goes unconscious. As we fall to the ground, I look up and see my friends falling as well, and the last thing I see before hitting the ground is a bright red streak across the sky.

I open my eyes and feel something soft and billowy beneath me. I look and see myself laying on a cloud. How is this possible? I think. Am I… dead? Just then, I see Darius and Jess looking down at me.

"You okay?" Darius asks. He extends his hand and I take it. He pulls me to my feet. When my feet touch solid ground, I look back at what I was laying on. I see a blue bird-like Pokémon wrapped in fluffy white plumage, giving it the appearance of being wrapped in a cloud. It cries out cheerfully. I stroke its head.

"Thanks," I say. "You saved me." I look back at Darius. "I saw you both fall as well. How did you two survive?"

Jess smirks. "It's going to take more than that to take out Articuno," she says boastfully. "She swooped down and snatched us both out of the air."

Darius nods. "Unfortunately, Talonflame is down for the count," he says. "We'll need to hit the Pokémon Center. That thing is insanely strong."

I look around frantically, but I do not see Skarmory. I panic. "Where is he?" I ask. Darius pulls out a camouflage ball, and I recognize it as Skarmory's. I hastily take it. "Is he okay?"

Darius nods. "He's been roughed up, but he should be fine," Darius says. He rubs his neck. "That was REALLY stupid. Next time, let's not ride our Pokémon while we fight."

"Agreed," I say.

A woman approaches us, dressed in a winged hat and a blue and white jumpsuit. She takes a bow. "I am Winona, leader of the Fortree Gym," she says. "Thank you for coming to my aid."

"Thank you for saving me," I say. "Who knows how badly I'd have been injured had your Pokémon caught me."

"So what do you know about that bizarre creature?" Winona asks.

"What makes you think we would know anything about that?" Darius asks.

"You joined the fight without hesitation," she says. "I would say you three were hunting for it."

I nod. "You're quite perceptive," I remark. "Yes, we are hunting it. It is the result of an unfortunate experiment conducted at the Space Center. It… it murdered a lot of people."

"I see," Winona says. She starts stroking her Pokémon's fluffy plumage. "Well, I am grateful you showed up when you did. Had you not, I might have suffered the same fate. Despite my gym leader status, I was no match for that creature."

"What was it doing here?" I ask. "Is anyone hurt?"

"Thankfully, no," she says, "but it did smash through one of the homes. I don't know why, though."

I look at my friends. "Let's check it out."

Winona jumps onto her blue Pokémon. "Let's go, Altaria," she says, pointing upward. Altaria floats up into the air to the top of the tree and lands on the bridge.

I scratch my head. "Ugh… I guess we're climbing," I say, grabbing a rung on the ladder.

"Says you!" Jess laughs, releasing her Articuno. She jumps on.

Darius shrugs. "Heh, sorry bud," he says. "See you at the top!" He jumps on with Jess and the two fly up to the top.

I grumble as I slowly make my way up the ladder. My back is sore from the fall, but I manage to pull myself upward. It takes me five minutes to make it to the top of the ridiculously tall tree, giving me plenty of time to plot my revenge. I make my way across the shaky bridge to the next tree over. There, I find everyone, with another woman I have yet to meet. She is young, with blonde hair and thick glasses. She looks quite upset, and for good reason. There is a giant hole in the side of her home and her dresser is destroyed. Other than that, though, the house is relatively untouched. It is very odd.

The girl talks to Winona. Winona nods, taking in everything the girl is saying. I catch the end of the conversation. "…why it hit my home, but nothing seems to be missing," the girl says.

Winona nods. "Very strange indeed," she says. "I'm sorry this happened, Stacy. I'll gather some of the townfolk, and we'll help repair your home."

"Thank you, Winona," she says. "I'm glad you're our gym leader."

Stacy goes into her home and starts picking up the remains of her dresser. Darius rubs his chin. "The destruction in Lilycove was pretty specific," he says. "It's almost like it's looking for something."

"Hey!" Stacy calls out. "My stone is gone!"

"Huh?" I go inside and check on Stacy. She is on the floor, looking under her bed. "What is missing?"

"My Leaf Stone," she says. "I was saving it for when my Seedot evolves. I can't find it."

I think about this. "Stacy, where did you keep your Leaf Stone?" I ask.

"In my dresser," she says. "I've looked all over, but it's gone!"

"Don't worry, Stacy," Winona assures. "I can get you another one."

"Thank you, Winona," Stacy says, with a smile.

I think back about the destruction in Lilycove and what that beret guy had said. His sculptures were taken, which I thought was very odd. Now this girl's Leaf Stone is gone too? This creature's behavior is not making much sense. We need to find it and quick.

"Hey, which way did the creature fly off to?" I ask Winona.

"It appeared to be heading toward Mauville," she says. "I have already called Wattson. He's gathering as many trainers as he can to protect the city. I did not get any warning. I hope he can do more than me with the heads up."

I nod. "Let's head to the Pokémon Center, then let's go after it!" I say.

"Let's not fight it while riding our Pokémon this time," Darius groans, rubbing his neck.

"Where's the Pokémon Center?" Jess asks.

Winona points west. "Two trees over, at the base," she says.

Jess nods. "Thanks." She releases Articuno and hops on. Darius jumps on with her. "See you there, Crono!" They fly off, leaving me behind.

"I hate them so much," I grumble, as I make my way across the bridges and down the long ladder. At the bottom, I enter the Pokémon Center. Darius and Jess are finishing up healing their Pokémon. I take mine out and hand them to the nurse, glaring at the two the entire time. They whisper amongst themselves, of what, who knows. Darius leans up and whispers something in Jess' ear. Jess turns Tamato Berry red and slaps him. Darius rubs his cheek, and Jess feigns anger. I just shake my head, wondering when they are just going to do it and get it over with.

The nurse hands me my Pokémon and the three of us leave the Pokémon Center. We release our birds, hop on, and take off into the air. We fly south-west, heading back to Mauville. We fly as fast as we can, knowing what it is capable of. We speed over the trees, and even though we are chasing down an alien of indescribable destructive power, everything looks so… peaceful. It is obviously leaving the wild Pokémon alone. No sign of any disruption amongst the trees, the waters, and the mountains. Just an eerie calm, lingering around us. It chills me to the bone.

As last, we see Mauville in the horizon. As we get closer, I am surprised to see no smoke rising. I do, however, see numerous people and Pokémon standing on the roof of the giant one-building city. They all seem to be gathered around something… or someone. Once we arrive, we swoop down for a landing. We are greeted by several electric bolts flying past us. We manage to dodge them, but the unwelcoming gesture angers me.

"Stop shooting!" I shout as loud as I can.

An old man in a yellow shirt holds his hands up. "Cease fire!" he shouts. The others stop their Pokémon from attacking.

We swoop down and land on the roof. The man in yellow walks up to greet us. Darius frowns at him. "That was unpleasant," he grumbles.

"My apologies," the man says, "but after what happened a few minutes ago, we're all on edge. The name is Wattson. I'm the Gym Leader here."

"I'm Crono," I say. "This is Darius and Jess. So it was here?"

Wattson nods. "It stuck fast, then just left," he says. "It killed one of my gym members, then just left. I don't understand." He gestures toward a man lying on the ground.

We approach the man. Sure enough, the man has a hole right through his heart. Fast and precise, just like the rest. But why just this one person? Surely, the others must have posed some sort of threat. Why attack just this one man and leave the others? I think about it for a moment.

Darius notices me deep in thought. "What is it?" he asks. "You notice something?"

I try to find something in common with the previous victims. I only find one, but it is a long shot. I decide to go with it. "What kind of Pokémon did your gym member use?"

Wattson frowns. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asks.

"I'm trying to find a connection," I say. "A reason for this targeting."

Wattson narrows his eyes. "Well, he used Magnemite, Electrike, and a Minun."

I frown. Not the connection I was thinking. Suddenly, I hear a woman scream in tears. She runs up to the dead gym member and kneels down, sobbing. "Oh Jim…" she laments. Behind her, a Pikachu stands, looking sorrowful. Seeing that Pikachu, I have an epiphany. I think I found the connection. I turn to Wattson.

"Did Jim happen to have a Thunder Stone on him?" I ask.

Wattson frowns. "How should I know?" he grumbles. "You are asking odd questions."

The woman looks up at me. "Yes… he did," he sniffles. "He said he managed to get one for my Pikachu. I have always wanted a Raichu, but evolution stones are hard to come by in Hoenn. He said he would bring it home after work."

The connection has been made. I look at my Pokégear and call Steven. It rings twice, then he answers. "This is Steven," he answers.

"Sir, I think I know what this creature is doing," I say. "I think it is collecting evolution stones."

"Evolution stones?" Steven asks. "Well, that explains why my house looks like it's been ransacked. Whatever for?"

"I'm not sure," I admit, "but that's what it seems to be doing."

"Hmm…" Steven thinks for a moment. "Maybe it is trying to evolve?"

"Evolve?" I realize what he is talking about. It makes sense too. "You might be right, Steven," I say. "That thing mutated from the virus when hit with a laser, yes? Basically, it evolved. 'Laser' is an acronym for 'light amplified by stimulated emission of radiation'. Evolution stones give off radiation, which triggers evolution in species sensitive to the wavelength of radiation. Maybe it thinks that by collection enough stones, it can absorb enough radiation to evolve further."

"I'm impressed," Steven says. "You might be right. If that thing evolves further, who knows what kind of danger the world will be in. It needs to be found and stopped. And if it really is collecting these stones, then I think I know how to find it. Good work, you three. I'll take it from here."

"Hey, wait!" I shout, but he hangs up. This Steven guy is really getting on my nerves. I look at Wattson. "Which way did it go?"

"You really are going after that thing?" Wattson asks. "You are a brave lot, I'll give you that. Foolish, but brave. I would wait for Steven if I were you."

"The longer we wait, the more people get hurt!" Jess growls. "Now cough it up, old man!"

"'Old man'…?! Why, I never…! Young people these days!" Wattson frowns. "Fine! It headed north, toward Mount Chimney. Don't get in over your head! You'd be wise to wait for Steven!"

"Mount Chimney?" I say. "The volcano? Weird. I wonder why it is going up there? Is there a town up there?"

"Yes, actually," Jess says. "Lavaridge Town, famous for its hot springs."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Wattson says. "The fire-type gym leader, Flannery, lives there. She can protect the town."

Jess glares at Wattson. "And if you couldn't handle the creature, what makes you think she can?"

Wattson has no words. He just stares at Jess for a few seconds. Finally, he nods. "You're right," he says. "I'm contacting Steven. We need to mobile quick."

"In the meantime, we'll be heading there," I say. "We can't just stand by and let the town get destroyed." With that, the three of us release our birds, jump on, and take off.

As we fly off to the volcano, I ponder what we can actually do to stop this thing. I am unsure our Pokémon can withstand a head-on fight with it, even with a gym leader at our side. I do not know how strong this Flannery is, but we will need every person possible to fight this thing. And what if it really does manage to achieve an evolution? How much stronger will it be after that? I fear if we do not stop this thing soon, the entire world will be in jeopardy.

Dark smoke seeps out of the looming volcano ahead. I find myself wondering how someone can build a town on an active volcano, knowing that any day, it could erupt and wipe them out. To each their own, I suppose. As we get closer, I look out for the creature and the town. I do not see the alien anywhere, but I do notice a rugged path etched into the side of the slope. I motion to Darius and Jess and they nod in response. We turn our Pokémon into a dive and start circling the volcano, keeping our eye out for any sign of trouble. At last, I spot the town. It is a small town, with only a few buildings, and what looks like a pool that I assume is the hot spring. I look back at Darius and Jess. They seem to have spotted it as well and already start making their way there. I turn Skarmory toward the town. The town looks untouched, but at the same time, uninhabited.

We land, pulling our Pokémon back into their balls. I instinctively release Jaws, who leaps out and grabs my leg happily. He then freezes and looks around cautiously. I suppose like us, he too realizes something is not right here. Despite being a tourist spot, it is eerily quiet. We walk through the town, looking around for any sign of civilization. The quiet starts getting to me. I realize the irony of it, considering I always wanted to leave the noise of the city, but this kind of quiet is not what I had in mind. It is the quiet of death.

I let out a sigh of relief when I suddenly hear a groan. We rush toward the sound, coming from near the hot spring. Darius and Jess instinctively stand guard, providing security while I rush to the source of the groaning. I find a girl, half submerged in the water, draped over the side. Her bright red hair reminds me of Liz and I feel a pang of heartache upon seeing her. I rush over and carefully drag her out of the hot spring. I roll her over and see her face wretched in pain. I look her over, checking for injuries. Aside from her torn jeans and muddy shirt, she appears fine. Then she slowly opens her eyes. She furrows her brow as she looks up at me. "Where… am I?" she asks.

"You're safe," I say. "You're at Lavaridge Town."

She looks around, then tries to sit up. She moans in pain. I assist her in sitting up, and she manages to stay up. She looks at me. "Help me into the spring, please," she groans. "My back… it really hurts."

I nod. She puts an arm over my shoulders and I put my arm around her waist. We stand up, then she slowly steps into the spring. She sinks down and sits in the water. She rests her head back and sighs.

"These springs have amazing healing properties," she explains. "It might be all in my head, but my back is feeling better already."

"I take it you were attacked?" I ask.

The girl nods. "Yes, actually," she says. "The strangest Pokémon I've ever seen. I'm not even sure it was a Pokémon. It… was brutal, vicious, and very fast."

"What about the people here?" I ask, worried.

The girl shakes her head. "This is more of a resort than a town. There are a couple who permanently live here, but most are just vacationers. We're in the off-season right now. Nobody comes here in the summer."

"Understandable," Darius calls out. "I'm drenched in sweat already."

"Sissy Kalos Boy," Jess mutters.

The girl turns around and rests her arms on the edge of the pool. "I'm Flannery," she says. "So what do you know about this creature?"

I sigh. "It's the product of human experimentation," I say. "The Altaria IV team found a virus on space, and for some reason, felt compelled to shoot it with a laser. That thing is the result."

Flannery frowns. "Well, that was stupid, now wasn't it?" She climbs out of the pool. I step back, slightly flustered at the sight of her wet clothes clinging to her amazing figure. I look to the sky, pretending to be looking at literally anything else. "You never told me your names," Flannery says.

"Oh, um… I'm Crono," I say, trying to keep my eyes on her face.

Darius turns his gaze from the sky and looks at Flannery. "My name is… WHOA!" His eyes go wide with surprise. Trust me, buddy, I know.

Jess walks up behind Darius and slaps him hard in the back of the head. "Darius," she growls. "His name is Darius, and I am Jess."

Flannery smiles. "Nice to meet you all," she says. "Come with me to my gym… or what's left of it." She takes a step forward and stumbles. I run to her side. "My back… that thing really messed me up." She puts an arm over my shoulders to hold herself up. "Help me to the gym, please?" I put an arm around her waist, her wet body pressed against mine. I feel my face burn bright red. I have a girlfriend, I have a girlfriend, I have a girlfriend…

We reach her gym. From the outside, it looks intact, aside from the door. When we go through the busted door, I see the destruction she mentioned. The floor is torn up, the walls are charred and cracked, and the ceiling is crumbling. How it is still standing is beyond me.

"I came in here from the springs and found the creature standing before my storage chest," Flannery explains. "It smashed it to pieces and took my Fire Stones. I tried to fight it, but I didn't stand a chance. It created an explosion, sending me flying through the door." She winces in pain. "I think I need a doctor."

"I already called Mauville clinic," Jess says. "They're sending a helicopter."

Flannery nods. "Thanks." She motions toward a couch that has remained intact. "Sit me down there."

I help her toward the couch and carefully sit her down. She groans and lays down, patiently awaiting the medical crew to arrive. Jaws walks up to Flannery and offers her a chocolate bar. Flannery smiles and takes it. "Thank you!" She says. "Such a sweet Pokémon!" Jaws blushes, hearts in his eyes.

"Ah… careful," I say. "I don't actually know where he gets those from…"

Flannery takes a bite and smiles. "Mmmm, it's good," she says. I shrug. At least now I know we will never go hungry with Jaws around.

After several minutes, we hear the sound of a helicopter hovering overhead. Jess nods. "That would be them," she says. "I'll go meet them and guide them here."

"You do that," Darius says, eyes never leaving Flannery.

Jess grabs his ear. "YOU are coming with me!" she growls, pulling him along. Darius yelps in pain.

Flannery smiles at me. "So where are you from?" she asks.

"Ah… Goldenrod City, in Johto," I say.

"Johto, huh?" Flannery says. "I've always wanted to visit. I hear it is beautiful."

"It really is," I say.

The medical personnel charge through the door, followed by Jess and Darius. They rush to Flannery, the stretcher ready for her. She tries to sit up, gritting through the pain. Jaws and I help her sit up and she leans against the back of the couch. The medics position the stretcher next to her, then help her on.

"Ah, before you go…" I say.

"Yes?" Flannery asks, smiling at me.

"…which way did the creature go?" I ask.

Flannery thinks for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure," she says. "I was busy soaking my face in the spring." When I look at her funny, she just giggles. "I was knocked out. But… if it is looking for Fire Stones, it may have gone into the volcano mineshaft. That's where I found all mine."

I nod. "Thanks," I say. "We'll be going now. Glad you're okay."

Flannery waves, munching on her special candy bar, courtesy of Jaws. Jaws waves back, looking positively smitten. I pat him on the head, knowing exactly how he feels. Darius folds his arms and frowns. "So I guess this means we're going into the volcano mines?" he asks.

I nod. "We have to stop it," I say. "If that is where it is, that is where we go."

Darius grumbles. "Too hot."

Jess glares at Darius angrily, arms crossed. "What is, the volcano or Flannery?"

Darius just snorts and walks outside. We all follow and look around. We head to the Pokémon Center. The doors open, but the place is empty. This town is like a ghost town. I find a map of the area on the wall and find the entrance to the mines. There is a path just outside the town gate that leads to the mines. I show it to Darius and Jess. They study it and nod. The four of us head out to the town gate, get on the path, and follow it up to the mine entrance.

The mines are fairly crude. It appears to be quite new, recently excavated, and undeveloped. It appears to be in conjunction with a natural cave, as the path looks well-travelled, but the structure of the mines appears underdeveloped. I see the occasional pickaxe and miner's hat, along with a couple crates. I inspect the crates, but they contain nothing but lava rock. Either nothing was found, or the creature came through and cleaned them out. As we travel through the mine, my Pokégear starts ringing. I look and see it is Steven calling.

"Steven?" I answer.

"What's your status?" he asks.

"We just left Lavaridge," I explain. "Flannery was injured, but she was able to confirm our theory; the creature is definitely collecting evolution stones."

"So it's true…" Steven says. "Look, I have some additional information about this creature. The scientists here are calling it 'Deoxys' and have classified it as a Psychic-type. More research is being done, but they don't have much to work with."

"Deoxys, huh?" I frown. "Whatever they call it, it's dangerous. We're heading through the volcanic mines looking for it. Flannery said if it is looking for more evolution stones, the mines are the best place to look."

"Good call," Steven says. "She's a bright one. I've just made contact with the Elite Four. The other gym leaders are instructed to call me immediately upon seeing it. We will mobilize the moment we get its location. You are to do the same, got it? Don't be a hero."

"Will do," I say, then hang up.

"Well?" Darius asks. "What did he say?"

"They're calling it 'Deoxys' and claim it's a Psychic-type," I explain.

"Psychic-type, huh?" Darius repeats. "Well, that means it will have weaknesses to Dark, Ghost, and Bug. We can use that to our advantage."

"Sure, if the scientists are correct," I say. "Remember, Deoxys is not from this world. It might not play by the same rules. We must be prepared for anything."

Jess balls her fists. "Let's take this thing out already!"

Suddenly, the mines begin to rumble. Cracks form along the walls and rocks and dirt fall from the ceiling. The shaking continues for a few seconds, then stops. We look around, but see nothing but dirt. Jaws clings to my leg. We look at each other.

"We need to get out of here," Darius says.

We start running down the shaft when the rumbling begins again. We run faster, avoiding falling debris, when we come to a fork in the mine. I look both ways, then look at my friends. "Quick, which way?" I ask.

Darius points right. "Let's go this way!" He starts to run toward the right when a large chunk of rock falls, blocking the path. Darius leaps back just in time, then starts running left. "Okay, let's go THIS way!" We follow him down the path. Large stones fall on our heads. Jaws leaps into my arms and points up. I hold him up and he covers my head with his giant jaw, shielding me from the falling rocks. As we run, he gets heavier and heavier, but up ahead, I see light, so I keep him up until we finally pour out of the cave. Darius suddenly stops and I crash into him. Jaws, Darius, and I collapse into a heap. Jess gasps.

"Uh… I think we went the wrong way," she says, looking nervously around.

Darius pushes me and Jaws off him. I help him up and we look around. We are standing on a large flat rock sitting in the vent of the volcano. Around us, boiling magma flows in little streams, pooling in craters scattered across the area. The heat is intense and I suddenly regret coming up here. Up ahead, standing on a cliff above the main volcanic vent, is Deoxys. Next to it is a large pile of evolution stones. Amongst the pile, I can see the sculptures the artist back in Lilycove showed me. Deoxys stands before the pile of stones, its arms hovering over the pile. It appears to be absorbing the radiation from the stones, pulling it into its own body.

"Hey!" Darius calls out. Deoxys turns its head and looks back at us.

I stare at Darius. "…why?"

Darius scratches the back of his head. "Uh… yeah, that was kind of stupid…"

"No time for regrets!" Jess says, pulling out a Pokéball. "Here it comes!"

Deoxys slowly turns around. At it looks at us, we prepare out Pokéballs. I grab Exeggutor's ball. If it really is a Psychic-type, then Exeggutor should be able to resist its attacks. It walks toward us, the radiation of the stones trailing it. After several steps, it stops. Its body emits an aura, enveloping it entirely. The aura grows larger and brighter, and the skin on its body begins to ripple. Its arms, currently humanoid arms complete with hands, begin to split into long tentacles. Its wide head starts to morph, growing three long spikes. As I watch it change right before our eyes, the horror of the situation overwhelms me. We are too late. It is evolving!


	17. Chapter 17: Endgame

Deoxys' body continues to change. Its long tentacle arms wave around wildly and the spikes on its head grow longer. In the middle of its chest, a glowing crystalline orb pulsates. I glance over at Darius and Jess. Both are readying their Pokéballs. Jaws stands next to me, fists balled up. I grip Exeggutor's ball tightly.

"All right, guys, let's…" I start, but before I could finish, Deoxys charges me. My eyes wide and time seems to slow down. The creature is so fast and it is coming right at me! I have no time to react and fear my life is over. Suddenly, Jaws leaps in front of me and tackles Deoxys. Deoxys is pushed aside just enough to narrowly avoid me. I cover my eyes from the eruption of dust around me as Deoxys flies by. I look back and see Jaws clamped down on Dexoys' side. Deoxys flails about, trying to shake Jaws off him. Poor Jaws swings around like a rag doll. I quickly throw my Pokéball. Exeggutor pops out and shakes his leaves.

Darius and Jess follow suit. Jess releases Mightyena and Darius releases Sylveon. The three Pokémon group together and face toward Deoxys. Deoxys spins sharply and Jaws gets thrown off. He flies at me, slamming into my stomach. I get knocked back, falling to the ground. I wrap my arms around Jaws in a vain attempt to protect him. We hit the ground, landing on a sharp rock. I groan and slowly open my arms. Jaws leaps up and helps me up. I rub my bum and smiles. "Thanks," I say. He raises his fist into the air, pops a cheeseburger into his massive jaw, and runs to the group of Pokémon, ready for more.

We face off with Deoxys, our four Pokémon against it. Deoxys looks around, eyeing its opposition carefully. We need to be careful. I have seen its handiwork first hand. It is swift, precise, and deadly. If we are not careful, this situation can turn out worse than at the Ruins of Alph. I refuse to let that happen again. I decide to make the first move.

"Exeggutor, use Hypnosis!" I command. "Jaws, use Crunch!"

Darius and Jess follow suit. "Sylveon! Shadow Ball!" Darius orders.

"Mightyena, use Crunch as well!" Jess shouts.

All four Pokémon spring into action. Exeggutor starts by emitting hypnotic waves at Deoxys. Sylveon follows up with Shadow Ball, launching the ghostly ball of energy at Deoxys. Finally, Mightyena and Jaws flank Deoxys, ready to clamp down on its frail-looking body. All four attacks converge on Deoxys, but at the last second, Deoxys disappears! The Shadow Ball flies through where it once stood harmlessly, while Mightyena and Jaws collide into each other. Exeggutor's hypnotic waves dissipate into nothing.

I look around for Deoxys, but I do not see it anywhere. An eerie calm fills the air for a brief moment. Then, each of our Pokémon are rocked with explosions, one at each Pokémon's back! Exeggutor stumbles forward, a powerful blast at his back. Sylveon then gets hit, throwing her into a rock wall. Jaws and Mightyena both get rocked with their own explosions, both flying into Exeggutor, knocking him on his rear. Finally, Deoxys reappears, right where it once stood before.

I stare in horror. "No… way!" I say. "It… is so fast!"

Darius furrows his brow and clenches his fists tightly. "How are we supposed to fight something we can't even see move?!" he asks.

"Stop being a bunch of wimps and fight!" Jess growls. "Our Pokémon are not down yet! Mightyena, use Sucker Punch!"

Mightyena picks himself up and takes on a stance, like it is ready to punch. Deoxys sees this and dashes toward Mightyena. Just before it could land its attack, Mightyena lashes out, swiping Deoxys across the face. Deoxys reels back from the attack.

"Yes! Jess shouts. "Take that!"

Deoxys slowly turns its head back to Mightyena. It brings its four tentacle arms out, bringing the tips together. A massive ball of energy quickly forms between them and a powerful beam fires at Mightyena. The poor Pokémon is completely enveloped in the enormous energy beam, his body beaten from head to toe. Mightyena's body bounces along the ground and hits a rock, unmoving.

Jess stares in horror. Her hand shaking, she holds her Pokéball out and tries to pull Mightyena in. The beam connects with him and he gets pulled into the ball. I realize I am holding my breath and let it out with relief. That was scary.

"Sylveon, use Hyper Beam!" Darius commands. Sylveon leaps into action, charging a powerful beam. Deoxys moves to attack Sylveon, but I have other plans.

"Exeggutor, stop it with Leech Seed!" I order. "Jaws, follow up with Crunch. Together, you can hold it in place!"

Exeggutor launches several seeds at Deoxys, while Jaws charges behind it. The seeds connect and numerous vines sprout out quickly. Deoxys stops and tries to rip the vines out, but more keep growing. Finally, some of the vines reach the ground and ingrain themselves into the soil. Deoxys struggles to rip out the vines, but Jaws swings his massive jaw around and clamps down. He digs his feet into the ground and pulls, struggling against the might of the creature to keep it in place. Together with the vines and Jaws, Deoxys seems immobilized.

"Excellent!" I shout. "Now Darius! Sylveon has a free shot!"

"Go Sylveon!" he shouts. "Fire that Hyper Beam!"

Sylveon lets out a victorious roar as she fires the Hyper Beam. The beam soars through the air toward Deoxys. I watch with excitement, knowing there is no possible way for it to avoid this attack. Jaws closes his eyes, bracing himself for the attack. Deoxys struggles against the vines and Jaws' grip in vain as the beam connects. It slams into Deoxys' chest and face, enveloping its entire body. The attack glows a brilliant pink and I shield my eyes from the blast. Everything is so bright, and I worry Jaws may not survive the attack. Jaws, my Mawile, always so brave in battle, willing to risk it all for me. The trust between us is strong, and I would lay down my life for him, just as I know he would for me.

At last, the bright light fades and I can see again. So much dust has been kicked up and I struggle to see through the cloud. What are the results of the attack? Did it work? Is Jaws okay? I look around and see movement out of the corner of my eye. Picking himself up off the ground is Jaws. He must have dived out of the way just in time! He stands up and dusts himself off, then looks at me and grins. I grin back, happy to see he is okay. I look at Sylveon, who is breathing heavily, but looks okay. She watches closely, waiting to see the results of her assault. Exeggutor has sat down, looking refreshed from the energy absorbed by Leech Seed. He just rocks back and forth, in his own little world. I allow myself a small chuckle. The dust begins to settle and I can see Deoxys. It stands there, still bound by the vines, with a giant chunk missing. An entire arm has been completely blown off, along with a good portion of its chest! It looks at its missing appendage with large evil-looking eyes. Still bound by the vines, it stands there, unmoving. Glowing white blood oozes from the gaping wound in its side, dripping upon the ground.

"Yes!" Jess shouts out. "Great attack!"

Darius beams. "Yeah, Sylveon sure is strong!" he says proudly.

I nod. "She sure is," I say. "I'm calling Steven, now that we have it contained."

I hold my Pokégear up and am about to push the button for Steven, when suddenly, Deoxys starts to spasm. I look and see the crystalline orb in its chest glow brightly. Its whole body shakes violently and I hear sickly sticky noises coming from it. The glowing white blood that dripped on the floor begin to crawl up its body, slithering back into the wound. The wound begins to close up and a new arm sprouts forth. The arm ends with a newly formed humanoid hand. My eyes widen as I watch is regenerate before our eyes. If it can regenerate, how can we stop it?

"Uh, hey buddy," Darius says. "We need to do something about this!"

Jess grabs another Pokéball. "I knew this wasn't over so easily!"

I frown. "Try to keep it held down!" I call out to Exeggutor and Jaws. "I'll get Steven out here!"

Exeggutor groans as he stands up. He launches more seeds at Deoxys. With its newly formed hand free, it starts ripping the vines apart. Exeggutor does his best to throw more seeds and grow more vines, but Deoxys is ripping them out faster than they can grow. Jaws runs up and tries to grab its arm. He clamps down tightly, but Deoxys flings him around, slamming him into the ground. Sylveon charges another Hyper Beam. As she fires the second beam, Deoxys throws Jaws aside and starts to change again! The spikes on its head shrink back into its skull and smooths over, creating a helmet-like dome. Its tentacles thicken and seem to fuse together, creating thick, beefy arms. Did it just evolve again?!

Deoxys flexes hard and the vines shred. Sylveon fires her Hyper Beam. Deoxys plants its thick tree-trunk legs into the ground, its body growing even bigger. It raises a beefy arm and just before the beam connects, it swats the beam aside! The beam heads in my direction and for the briefest of moments, I panic and freeze up. Jaws dashes toward me and dives into my waist, pushing me out of the way. The beam hits the rock wall nearby, causing an explosion. We are rocked by the explosion and thrown aside, hitting the ground in a heap. I groan and see my Pokégear. The device is broken, the screen shattered. "No!" I shout. "I can't call Steven!"

"What?!" Jess shouts.

"My Pokégear is smashed!" I say.

"What's his number?" Jess calls out. "I'll use mine!"

"Um…" I struggle to remember his number. In the meantime, Deoxys starts stomping toward Sylveon. "Exeggutor, use Seed Bomb! Help Sylveon!"

While I try to remember Steven's number, Exeggutor launches a barrage of explosive seeds. They blow up on Deoxys' body, but it seems unfazed by the attack. It continues to proceed toward Sylveon. Sylveon prepares another Hyper Beam attack.

"Jess!" I shout. "Steven's number is 555…. Um… 1… 337!"

Jess dials the number and the phone rings. I pick myself up off the ground, helping Jaws to his feet. Jaws shakes himself off and charges back into the battle. Sylveon fires another Hyper Beam, while Exeggutor continues throwing seed bombs around it. Deoxys swats at the beam again, deflecting it toward Exeggutor. The beam pounds into Exeggutor's trunk. He cries out in pain, falls to the ground, and collapses, unconscious.

"Exeggutor, no!" I shout. I quickly pull him back into his ball.

Jess' phone gets through and she puts it on speaker. I hear Steven's voice. I rush over to Jess and grab her arm. Jess growls and tries to pull her arm away, but I hold it tightly and speak.

"This is Steven, who is this?" Steven asks.

"Steven!" I shout. "This is Crono! We're atop Mount Chimney! Deoxys is here, but we can't hold it. Get over here!"

Jess reaches into her pocket with her free arm and pulls out another ball. She releases Lapras and commands it to attack. In the meantime, Jaws continues attacking, constantly getting swatted away by Deoxys. As Deoxys stomps closer to Sylveon, Sylveon backs further.

"What?!" Steven shouts. "You found it?"

"Yes!" I shout. "We're on top of Mount Chimney! GET OVER HERE!"

"Crono!" Steven says. "Listen to me very carefully. Get out of there now! Do not… I repeat, DO NOT fight it! It's way too dangerous! Don't be a hero!"

"Too late for that!" I growl. "Just get your ass over here!"

"Crono!" Steven shouts, but I hang up. I release Jess' arm and she yanks it away.

"Next time, buy me dinner first!" Jess growls. "Lapras, Ice Beam!"

Lapras fires a beam of ice at Deoxys. Deoxys bulks up in anticipation and absorbs the attack. It shakes itself, shards of ice sprinkling the ground and instantly melting from the heat. Sylveon backs into a rock wall. She tries to charge another Hyper Beam, but nothing happens. She looks exhausted. Darius calls out to her.

"Sylveon, get out of there!" he shouts.

Sylveon darts to the side, dashing around Deoxys. He swipes at her with a meaty arm, but Sylveon narrowly dodges it. Sylveon moves around to Deoxys' back, panting heavily.

"That's it!" Darius shouts. "Now use Shadow Ball!"

"Darius!" I say. "She looks exhausted. I think it's time to switch!"

Darius looks at me, then at Sylveon. He nods. "I think you're right," he says. He pulls out her ball.

Sylveon fires the Shadow Ball at Deoxys' back. It hits Deoxys in the back of the head. Deoxys turns around and slams its arm into Sylveon just as Darius tries to pull her into her ball. Sylveon flies into a rock wall and the beam misses. Darius tries again, but Deoxys moves its bulky body in the way. The beam bounces harmlessly off Deoxys' back.

"Crap!" Darius says. "It's fat body is in the way!" Darius runs around, trying to get a good view of Sylveon. I cannot see Sylveon from where I am, just Deoxys' back. I command Jaws to run in to help. Deoxys pulls a thick leg back and kicks forward. I hear Sylveon yelp in pain and my heart breaks. Jaws leaps onto Deoxys' back and repeatedly pounds into the back of its skull. Deoxys swings upward, landing a solid punch to Jaws' face, knocking him off. Jaws hits the ground, stunned. Darius tries pulling Sylveon in again, but with no luck. Deoxys is just too big, he cannot get a good shot. Deoxys raises a giant arm and brings it down. I hear a loud, heart-shattering snap, and poor Sylveon howls in pain that is cut short. And suddenly, the world falls silent.

Darius freezes. I can practically see his heart stop beating. I feel the panic well up inside me. Can it be? Has it happened again? I cannot bear to think so. I reach for Brawny's Great Ball and throw it. I refuse to believe it is true. I HAVE to do something!

Brawny leaps out and flexes. "Brawny!" I shout. "Save Sylveon! Beat the ever-living snot out of that monster!" Brawny roars and charges for Deoxys. I realize this is a terrible idea. If Deoxys really is a Psychic-type, Brawny may very well get destroyed. However, I cannot see another one of Darius' Pokémon perish. Brawny leaps onto Deoxys' back and starts pounding into its thick skull. Deoxys swings its beefy arms around, trying to knock Brawny off. Brawny grabs Deoxys by the face, leaps off its back, and pulls it away from poor Sylveon. Dust from the tussle kicks into the air, shrouding Sylveon. I cannot see her.

"No…" Darius says, tears streaming down his eyes. "Not again… not again…"

I grab Darius by the collar. "Come on, dude!" I shout at him. "Snap out of it!"

Darius just stares off into nothing. "Please… not again…"

He is so out of it, though understandably so. Desperate times call for desperate measures. I slap him across the face. He blinks and looks at me. "Darius," I say calmly. "I understand your pain, but listen. Amidst the noise, what can you hear?"

Darius stops and listens carefully. He is silence for a moment, then looks at me. I believe he hears what I hear; the faint whimpering of Sylveon. She is still alive. I look back, and sure enough, from the cloud of dust, Sylveon appears, dragging herself across the ground. She is badly beaten and her back is bent at an unnatural angle, but she is still alive. Deoxys seems to have broken her back. That must have been the awful snap we heard.

Darius looks at me and wipes his eyes. I look at him square in the eyes. "Now quickly!" I say. "Pull her into her ball! In there, she will be in a stasis. She will survive long enough to get her to a hospital, okay?"

Darius nods. He aims the ball at her and fires. The beam connects and Sylveon is pulled in. Darius pockets the ball. I look at him. "Are you okay?" I ask. He nods. "Good. Let's finish this!"

Darius grabs another ball. In his eyes is a fire I have only seen once before, back in the Ruins of Alph. Darius is furious and is eager to get revenge. He releases his pride and joy, his beautiful and powerful Talonflame. She soars into the air, wings spread, surrounded by a fiery aura that matches Darius rage. "Talonflame! Let's destroy this thing!"

I nod and turn back to Brawny and Deoxys. To my surprise, Brawny is holding his own, dragging Deoxys around. Deoxys is locked in a death grip. Brawny has it pinned with two of his arms, and the other two are pounding the back of its head.

Darius wastes no time. "Talonflame!" he shouts. "Flamethrower!"

Talonflame dives toward Deoxys, squawking loudly. She opens her beak and a large stream of fire erupts toward Deoxys. Brawny grabs hold of Deoxys with all four hands and ducks behind it, using Deoxys as a shield. The flames hit Deoxys. Talonflame keeps up the assault, concentrating the flames on Deoxys' face. Deoxys' face appears to melt, its glowing white ooze blood pouring down its arms and over Brawny's hands.

"Now obliterate it with a Flare Blitz!" Darius commands. "Make that thing explode!"

Talonflame glows brightly and bursts into flames. Her entire body becomes engulfed in fire as she dives toward Deoxys at amazing speeds! She screeches triumphantly as she aims straight for Deoxys' chest. For a moment, it looks like we may beat this thing, but I do not hold my breath. It can regenerate, so we must be cautious.

Suddenly, a bright laser beam fires from Deoxys' chest orb. Talonflame spots it and tries to dodge, but the beam clips her wing. She squawks in pain and careens to the ground. She crashes, bounces along the ground, and slides to a stop. At the same time, the glowing white blood on Brawny's hands start sliding up his arms. Brawny tries to pull away, but it unable to yank them free. The ooze begins to change into red and green tentacles, while its beefy arms retract into its body. Its head reforms, turning back into the wide face it originally had. It is reverting to its original form! It is de-evolving? Is that possible?

Brawny struggles against the grip of Deoxys as the newly formed tentacles wrap around all four of his arms. Brawny plants both feet into Dexoys' back and pulls with all his might. Deoxys finishes regenerating, then its tentacles merge together, forming humanoid hands. Deoxys then grabs Brawny by the head with both hands, lifting him over its head. It swings him down, slamming him into the ground face first. It then swings him around and slams him into a rock wall. It holds Brawny with one hand by the back of his head, and it drags Brawny's face against the rock in a brutalizing assault. Brawny struggles to free himself, but he is helpless against the power of this terrible creature. My heart breaks over and over as I watch helplessly from the side.

Jess growls. "What is with this thing?!" she shouts angrily. "Nothing we do has any effect!"

I look back and see Darius helping Talonflame off the ground. Her wing is injured, but still functional. Darius pulls out a potion and sprays it on her wing. The wound heals over and Talonflame is ready to go. "Now get in there and help Brawny!" he commands. Talonflame soars into the air, squawking loudly.

Jess' Wailord fires a stream of water at Deoxys. Deoxys swings Brawny around, using him as a shield, then looks up at Talonflame. Talonflame dives toward Deoxys, talons first. Deoxys swings Brawny around and throws him at Talonflame. Brawny hurls limply through the air. Talonflame dodges Brawny, but with her talons, grabs him as he flies by. She dives quickly, drops Brawny to the ground, and speeds off toward Deoxys.

I rush over to Brawny, who is not moving. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jaws slowly picking himself off the ground. He limps toward us, the look on his face telling me he is more worried about Brawny than about his own injuries. I touch Brawny gently. He does not respond. I gently roll him over and gasp in horror. Half his face is shredded, covered in nasty bloody lacerations. I am at a loss. I do not even know if a potion or even a Full Restore would help him. I reach into my bag and see what I have. I find a Super Potion and think it will have to do. I start spraying his wounds. Upon contact with the spray, Brawny immediately sits up and roars in pain, grabbing his face. Jaws and I leap back as Brawny flails about angrily. Jaws stumbles back and falls, indicating to me one of his legs is hurt. Brawny calms down and lowers his hands. His face looks a little better, but it is still torn up. Brawny looks at me apologetically. He then looks around and sees the fight before him. Wailord and Talonflame fire streams of water, fire, ice, and steel feathers at this creature, who keeps dodging, deflecting, and absorbing each attack. Brawny clenches each fist and gets an angry look on his face, a look I have never seen before. He gets up. I grab his arm.

"Brawny!" I say. "You're injured. You don't have to. I have more Pokémon I can use. You can rest."

Brawny looks at me, then pats me on the back. "Ma-champ…" he says.

A tear wells up in the corner of my eye. I nod reluctantly. "Okay," I say.

Brawny roars. "MACHAMP!" He charges back into the fight.

Jess jabs her finger at Deoxys. "Wailord, use Body Slam!" she commands.

Darius follows suit. "Talonflame, Steel Wing!"

Wailord, in an act I never knew it would be capable of, flops himself against the ground and bounces high into the air. Talonflame swoops down and tries to distract Deoxys by unleashing a barrage of steel feathers. Deoxys easily dodges each feather, then holds a hand up toward Talonflame. Energy begins to form in its palm. Talonflame stays in place, letting Deoxys take aim. Just as it is about to fire, Wailord comes crashing down on top of Deoxys. The ground shakes and cracks around Wailord's impact. And then silence.

We pause, watching Wailord as he lays there looking please. The massive Pokémon smiles widely. After a few seconds, his smile disappears and he looks immensely uncomfortable. He then bellows in pain and it looks like his body is getting beaten from the inside. He flops around, shaking the ground, then Deoxys bursts out of Wailord's blowhole. Wailord rolls onto his back, and we see that Dexoys has punched a hole through his belly. Blood pours from the gaping wound. Jess looks horrified.

"Jess, quick!" I shout. "Pull Wailord into his ball!"

Jess, with shaking hands, pulls Wailord back into his ball. She pockets the ball, then pulls out Articuno. "Let's finish this," she says, her voice trembling. She is normally tough, but I think the sight of her severely wounded Pokémon has her shaken up. She releases Articuno, her beautiful melodic cry filling my ears.

Articuno soars up into the air, joining Talonflame. Brawny runs up and joins the birds, ready to fight with them, despite his poor mangled face. Deoxys faces down our Pokémon. It just floats there, staring at us with those cold dead eyes. Darius looks at Jess. She looks back at him, and they smile. They both point to Deoxys.

"Flamethrower!" Darius commands.

"Ice Beam!" Jess commands at the same time.

Articuno and Talonflame launch their parallel attacks at Deoxys. The beams of ice and fire wrap around each other, combining into a single incredible attack. The beam connects with Deoxys and wraps around its body, charring and freezing it at the same time. Brawny then runs, leaping up boulders and rock walls to get up to Deoxys, then leaps out into the air. He grabs Deoxys by the legs and pulls it out of the air. He swings downward with all his might and slams Deoxys into the ground. Deoxys punches through the ground, leaving a giant hole. We waste no time. I command Brawny to fill the hole with rocks, then Darius orders Talonflame to burn the rocks, melting them to fuse them together and seal the hole. Finally, Jess commands Articuno to cover the rocks with ice, cooling the rocks, causing them to solidify again. And then once more, silence.

"Quickly!" I shout. "Tend to any injuries now. I don't think this is the end of it. Jess, call Steven and find out what the hell is taking him so long!"

Jaws and Brawny gather around me. Jaws is covered in scrapes and bruises, but nothing too serious. Brawny, on the other hand, has numerous lacerations on his face that need to be tend to. I take out a bottle of water and a shirt, wet the shirt, and gently dab it on Brawny's wounds. He flinches, but holds still. I then take out some Sitrus Berries and hand them to Brawny and Jaws, who happily eat them.

Darius calls down Talonflame, medicine in hand. She lands and he tends to her injured wing. Jess punches in Steven's number on her Pokégear. The phone rings and Steven answers. "Hello, this is Steven," he says.

"Where the hell are you?!" Jess shouts into her phone.

"Excuse me, but who is this?" Steven asks, clearly annoyed.

"Who the hell do you think it is?" Jess growls. "We're the ones getting our asses kicked doing YOUR job while you lollygag around!"

"You guys are STILL there?" Steven asks, bewildered. "I ordered you to retreat! It is way too dangerous for civil…"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not one of your gym lackeys!" Jess shouts angrily. "I don't take orders from you! My boss, Archie, ordered me to take a vacation, and I will spend it as I damn well please! And since I'm out here doing your job, I expect to be fully compensated!"

"Now listen here, you…" Steven starts, but Jess hangs up. She looks at us and gives us the thumbs up.

I just give her an incredulous look. "Yeah… nicely handled," I say.

Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. Cracks spread across the ground, stretching all around. The pile of boulders we used to nicely seal Deoxys in erupts. Magma pours from the opening, flooding the volcanic floor. As the magma spreads, I frantically look around. "Guys, we need to get out of here!" I shout.

Darius finishes up the patch job on Talonflame's wing. He hops on, but as she tries to take off, she cannot get very high. Her wing must be too injured to carry Darius. I rush over to help, but more magma pours from the cracks in the ground. I am cut off from my friends, with no way to them. Talonflame lands on the ground and Darius hops off. Talonflame looks apologetic as Darius strokes her feathers. "It's okay," he says. "Get out of here." Talonflame squawks, refusing to leave his side.

Jess is already on Articuno's back. She swoops down and Articuno grabs Darius by the shoulders with her talons. Talonflame squawks loudly and takes off with Articuno, staying close to Darius. Darius looks over at his companion and smiles.

As the magma surrounds Jaws, Brawny, and I, I pull out Skarmory's ball. Skarmory pops out, looks around, and immediately begins freaking out. He squawks loudly, flapping his wings wildly. I try to calm him, but he pulls away, squawking louder. His wings flail about, and I find myself at a loss. I cannot get near him without risking getting decapitated by his razor-sharp wings and he just keeps driving himself into a frenzy. I wonder if the magma is frightening him, then I remember that he is still an infant. I quietly forgive him as I pull him back into his ball. I look around and spot a cliff. Higher ground would be helpful and perhaps there, Skarmory would not panic so much. I point to the cliff.

"Brawny, Jaws!" I say. "We're going up there! Let's go!"

Brawny and Jaws acknowledge and we make a run for it. Jaws limps ahead, but is unable to keep up, so Brawny scoops him up and carries him along. The magma starts pouring out of every crack, hindering our progress. The ground starts to cave in, fissures open around us, and the little brush growing in this volcano starts catching fire. I look up and see Jess and Darius flying to safety up on the same cliff we were running for. Jess looks down and gives me a nod. I understand her unspoken promise; once she gets Darius to safety, she will come for us. Still, with the fires erupting around us, we cannot stay put. We keep pushing for the cliff.

As we approach the cliff wall, a fissure opens in front of us, blocking our path to safety. The crack widens at an alarming rate and I find it too far for me to jump. Below, the magma begins to rise, boiling to the top. I look back at Brawny, who is standing there, awaiting my lead. I look around, but I see no clear path to our destination. I look up and see Jess disappear over the cliff wall. I am unsure how much longer we can wait. I look at Brawny and shrug. "I don't know, buddy," I say apologetically.

Brawny flexes his arms and grins. I cock my head. "What is it?" I ask. He grins at me, and with a swift motion, he throws Jaws across the fissure. Jaws hurls through the air and hits the ground, rolling into the rock wall. He stands up, stumbles a bit, then shakes himself off. He waves at me, signaling he is okay. I look back at Brawny and nod. "Okay," I say. "It's better than burning to death, but what about you?"

Brawny does not answer. Instead, he grabs me, pulls back, and hurls me like a javelin across the fissure. The ground rushes toward my face. I shield my face with my arms, curl up, and roll across the ground. The jagged rocks dig into my arms and back as I slide across the ground. I grind to a halt and pick myself up. I am scraped up and my clothes are slightly torn, but other than that, I am fine. Nice throw, Brawny. I look back at him. He grins and gives me the thumbs up. I give him the thumbs up back. "Now get over here!" I shout.

Before Brawny can do anything, the ground starts to cave in. The magma in the fissure rises and the ground Brawny stands on starts sinking into it. Brawny frowns, looks around, and then looks at me. As I watch him sink, my heart goes with him, sinking into a pit of helplessness. "Please Brawny," I plea. "Don't give up. I know you can do it."

Brawny takes a few steps back, then charges toward the growing gap between us. He runs, faster than I have ever seen him run before. As he approaches the fissure, he pushes off the ground and leaps into the air. He soars over the fissure, and for a moment, he appears he is about to take flight! He reaches out with all four arms, grabbing at air. His fingers snag the edge of the cliff and I run to him. Then his finger slip and he disappears below the cliff. "Brawny!" I shout. I slide head first to the edge, hands reaching out for him. I reach down the cliff and grab one of his fingers. He slides down the rock wall, pulling me with him. I feel Jaws grab my ankle, pulling with all his might. Brawny digs his meaty hands into the crumbling cliff wall, trying desperately to keep from falling in. I struggle to keep hold of him, knowing that all logic points to me being incapable of pulling him up. I am simply not strong enough to lift three hundred pounds of solid muscle from the fissure, but I will be damned if I do not try!

Brawny grips the wall tightly, his fingers dug deep into the rock. Every now and then it crumbles under his grip, keeping him from making any progress in his desperate climb. I hold on tightly, refusing to let go. He looks up at me with an apologetic grin. "Ma-champ," he says.

I shake my head. "No," I say. "It isn't okay! I won't let you go!"

Brawny reaches up toward my hand, like he is going to pry it off him. I reach down with my other hand and grip his hand tightly. "No!" I shout. "I'm not letting you go!"

He looks at me. Despite the lacerations, he looks at peace. He raises one of his hands towards mine. I viciously shake my head and grip him tighter, tears welling up in my eyes. "Machamp…" he says, and points his finger up.

"Huh?" I say, confused. At that moment, I feel the waist of my shorts get yanked upwards. I glance up and see Articuno above me, pulling me into the air. Jaws holds on tightly to my leg and Brawny grabs my arms. I close my eyes against the pain of three hundred pounds pulling on my arms, but I bear through it. We fly through the air and within a minute, Articuno lets my shorts go. I fall, landing in Brawny's arms. I open my eyes and see Brawny grinning at me. "Machamp!" he says.

I wipe my eyes. "Stupid oaf," I say. "Next time, just say so! Had me all worried."

"Champ!" he says.

"See, I told you you guys need someone to look after you," Jess boasts.

"Yeah, thanks," Darius says. "Talonflame can't carry me with her injury."

"Yes, thank you," I say. "Skarmory just freaked out. I think all the heat and fire scared him."

"Well, there isn't enough room on Articuno's back for all three of us," Jess says. "How do you suppose we get out of here? Unless one of you wants to ride in her talons."

I look around. The lower portion of the volcano is flooded with lava, but the eruption has subsided. Also, the path we took is no longer accessible. The heat in here has intensified, and my face pours sweat. I wipe my face with my dirty shirt. At this point, I will gladly take Articuno's talons.

Suddenly, a geyser erupts in the middle of the magma pool below. It shoots into the air, causing magma to rain down over the boiling pool. Within the geyser, burned, half melted, and extremely pissed off, is Deoxys. Magma drips from its half-shredded legs and an arm hangs limply by its side. It glares at us angrily. I feel the horror welling up inside me. If it was able to survive that, how can we ever hope to defeat it?

Darius wastes no time. He points his finger at Deoxys. "Talonflame, rip that beast to shreds before it can regenerate again! Steel Wing!"

Jess follows suit. "Articuno! Use Blizzard!"

I look at Brawny and Jaws. Neither of them can really join the fight, given Deoxys is hovering over a boiling pool of magma. I look around to see what we can work with. I spy a giant boulder, and it has me thinking. I doubt it would work, but it is something. "Brawny," I say. "Can you lift that boulder?"

Brawny looks at me like I just asked the dumbest question in the history of questions. He stomps over, grips it with all four hands, and rips the sucker right out of the ground. He holds it over his head and grins. "Machamp!"

"Great!" I say. "Take aim. You're going to throw it at Deoxys when I say so, got it?"

Brawny nods. I turn to the fight and watch carefully as Darius and Jess' birds zip around Deoxys. Talonflame unleashes a barrage of steel feathers that slice into Deoxys' body. Articuno whips a frenzied icy whirlwind around Deoxys, causing the magma still stuck to its body to solidify. Deoxys takes a savage beating and seems to be unable to focus on regenerating. Finally, Deoxys lashes out with its good arm. It stretches out, palm open, and grabs Talonfalme by the face. It pushes Talonflame down toward the flowing lava. Jess spots this and commands Articuno to use Ice Beam on Deoxys' elongated arm. She hits the arm in the middle. It freezes solid, then snaps right off! The arm falls toward the lava, taking Talonflame with it. Articuno then fires Ice Beam at the lava below Talonflame, solidifying it. Talonflame bounces off it, shakes her face from Deoxys' severed arm's grip, and takes off back into the sky before the solid magma melts again.

"Now Talonflame! Flare Blitz!" Darius commands.

Talonflame starts spinning toward Deoxys, wrapping herself in flames. Deoxys turns to Talonflame and its crystalline orb begins to glow. I spot this, noticing Talonflame and Articuno's position, and point my finger. "Now Brawny!" I shout.

"Maaaaa-CHAAAAAMP!" Brawny roars as he hurls the boulder with all his mighty. The boulder flies through the air with incredible speed. It slams into an unsuspecting Deoxys, launching it toward the rock cliff. Deoxys struggles beneath the sheer velocity of the boulder. Then the boulder shatters and a giant beam of light fires into the sky. Deoxys stops its movement just before slamming into the rock wall. As it hovers there, it begins to rapidly regenerate. Its legs reform, its limp arm rises back to life, and its broken arm grows a new hand. All burn marks vanish, leaving it looking like it did before we even started this fight.

"Oh man…" I hear Darius groan. "What does it take to defeat this thing?"

"I don't know," Jess says, "but I don't know how much more our Pokémon can take."

I frown She is right. Most of our Pokémon have taken severe beatings, even come close to death, yet this alien has not even a scratch! It keeps regenerating and I do not know how we can compete with it. I do not know how much longer we can last. What is taking Steven so long?

Deoxys wastes no time. It dashes straight for Articuno. Articuno tries to dive out of the way, but Dexoys slams hard into her back. The bird squawks in pain, but recovers and fires an Ice Beam at it. Talonflame joins in, firing a Flamethrower at Deoxys. Deoxys throws up some kind of barrier, causing the two beams to swirl around its body. It them releases the beams, directing the Flamethrower at Articuno and the Ice Beam at Talonflame. Both birds get caught off guard and screech in pain. Deoxys then grabs them both and flies toward Brawny, Jaws, and me. We all dive out of the way as Deoxys slams both birds into the ground. It drags them several feet, creating deep trenches, before letting go and flies up into the air. It then lands near the edge, overlooking the magma pool.

Talonflame and Articuno struggle to stand. Brawny runs over to Articuno, while Jaws and I rush to Talonflame's side. We pick them up, helping them to their feet. Articuno shakes herself, looking weary, but Talonflame has clearly had enough. She falls back to the ground. Darius runs up and strokes her feathers. "I'm sorry," he says softly as he pulls her back into her ball.

"Articuno, use Roost," she says. "Take a breather."

Articuno folds her feathers and closes her eyes. She slowly starts to look more and more refreshed. Jess looks at Darius. "Talonflame doesn't know Roost?" she asks.

Darius sighs. "She's never needed it before…" he says, regretfully.

"I don't know how much of a rest she'll get," I say, pointing to Deoxys.

Deoxys is standing next to its pile of evolution stones, absorbing more radiation. I look at Darius and he nods. "Let's give her a chance to rest," he says, pulling out another Pokéball.

I return the nod. "I know you're tired, Brawny," I say, "but Articuno needs your help. Ready?"

"Machamp!" he says.

Darius throws his Pokéball and releases Hitmonchan. "It may be fast," he says, "but nothing is faster than Hitmonchan's Bullet Punch. Let's see it keep up with this!"

I point my finger. "Go Brawny! Use Seismic Toss!" I shout.

"Bullet Punch!" Darius commands.

As Brawny charges toward Deoxys, Hitmonchan disappears. A moment later, Hitmonchan appears at Deoxys' back, his insanely fast punch aimed directly for the back of Deoxys' head. Hitmonchan's fist flies at Deoxys' head, and passes right through it. Hitmonchan skids to a stop, looking confused. Deoxys' fades and disappears from sight. Brawny stops as well, just as confused. We look around. Where did it disappear to?

Suddenly, Hitmonchan is struck across the face. He rubs his cheek, looking annoyed. Then he is struck again. Finally, he is struck in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Deoxys' then reappears, back where it once was. This time, it is facing us, and it looks completely different. It appears to have evolved again, but not like the other two times. This time, each arm is composed of a single tentacle, its head is elongated in the back, and its body looks very sleek and aerodynamic.

Darius frowns, but keeps going. "Hitmonchan, use Bullet Punch again!"

Hitmonchan disappears, but just as he reappears to hit Deoxys, Deoxys disappears. Hitmonchan is then met with a series of quick strikes, knocking Hitmonchan around helplessly. I can just barely see the blur of red and green around Hitmonchan as he gets knocked around. Brawny looks around, confused. Before I could issue him a command, he runs toward Hitmonchan, wraps all four of his beefy arms around him, and ducks down, shielding Hitmonchan from the assault. Deoxys keeps up with swift offensive, striking Brawny repeatedly across the back. Every strike leaves a nasty gash, as if he is getting whipped. I cringe every time he is struck and finally, I cannot take it anymore. "Brawny! Get out of there!"

Brawny does not move, absorbing every blow for Hitmonchan. Finally, the attack ends, and Deoxys reappears back where it was. Brawny does not move, just continues to crouch over Hitmonchan. Then I see him move slightly, except I realize that it is not Brawny moving, but Hitmonchan lifting Brawny off him. He crawls out from under Brawny, glances over at Deoxys, then grabs Brawny by one of his arms and Bullet Punches back to us. Brawny lays on the ground before me, not moving. I kneel down, swallowing the horror lumping in the back of my throat. Brawny's back is shredded, bleeding profusely. I gently touch his neck, and let out a sigh of relief when I feel his pulse. I pull out his ball and pull him in. "I'm so sorry," I whisper, feeling more helpless than ever.

Hitmonchan looks beaten, but incredibly angry. He turns back to Deoxys and disappears. When he reappears, Deoxys quickly changes, morphing from the slick speedy version back to the big bulky form. Hitmonchan wails on Deoxys, jabs, hooks, and uppercuts coming out of the woodwork with blinding speed. Deoxys does not fight back, taking every hit the Pokémon has to offer. It puts its arms up in a defensive posture, blocking each punch. I notice that each attack Hitmonchan, while being blocked, is also pushing Deoxys ever so slightly toward the magma edge. I get an idea, one I doubt will work, but it is all I have left. I pull out Dunsparce's ball and release her. She flops on the ground and looks at me happily. I kneel down before her.

"Dunsparce," I say. "I know I haven't used you very much, but I have an important task for you. We're in a very dire situation. Here's what I need you to do." I lean in and whisper every detail to her. She listens intently and I pray she understands everything. When I finish, Dunsparce looks at me and opens her mouth into what looks like a smile. She then burrows into the ground.

I turn to Darius. "What else do you have?" I ask.

Darius checks his pockets. "I have Lapras, Prinplup, and Absol left," he asks. "Why?"

"We're going to need every single one of them," I say. "Jess, how about you?"

"Just Articuno and Manectric," she replies. "Articuno is almost rested."

"Great," I say. "Bring them all out. I have Dunsparce and Jaws left. Jaws, start eating as much crap as you can shove into that jaw of yours. Darius and Jess, release all your Pokémon. We're going to blast this bastard into oblivion!"

Darius grins. "I like what I'm hearing," he says, releasing his remaining Pokémon.

Jess follows suit. "So what's the plan?" she asks.

"I have Dunsparce digging up the ground under Deoxys and Hitmonchan," I explain. "When she returns, get Hitmonchan out of there. Once Hitmonchan is safe, every other Pokémon we have will launch their most powerful projectile attacks at Deoxys. The idea is to push it back into the magma and hold it there until it is completely burned up. If it is completely destroyed, then it shouldn't be able to regenerate." I look at my friends. "I don't know if it will work. If it fails, then we may very well die."

Jess clenches his fist. "We'll make it work!" she shouts. "There's no way we'll lose to some alien, so matter how strong it is!"

Darius steps forward, ready to attack. "We're in this all the way," he says. "This is for the world."

I nod. "This is for Mother… for Liz…" I clench my fist. "…for my father! Deoxys! You will NOT destroy this world!"

I notice the earth crumble beneath Deoxys' feet. Hitmonchan continues his vicious assault, landing blow after blow. Dunsparce pops her head from the ground at my feet. I glance at Darius, who nods. "Hitmonchan, return!" he shouts. Hitmonchan looks back with a confused look on his face as Darius pulls him into his Pokéball.

"NOW!" I shout. All at once, Darius and Jess command all their Pokémon to launch a full blown assault of projectiles. Prinplup and Lapras blast Deoxys with Hydro Pump, while Absol fires a beam of dark, shadowy, pulsating energy. Articuno flies up and fires its most powerful Ice Beam I have ever seen, while Manectric launches a powerful bolt of lightning. Dunsparce joins in the barrage, using a move I do not recognize by pummeling Deoxys with levitating stones. As Deoxys tries to defend itself against the relentless assault, the ground caves in beneath its feet. Deoxys tries to stay up, levitating above the crumbling ground, but as the rocks fall into the magma, the power of our combined Pokémon pushes it toward the molten rock. It tries desperately to push back, its body inching slowly toward the magma. We encourage our Pokémon to push harder, and they embolden their attacks. Deoxys slips closer and closer to the magma. Jaws limps toward the edge and looks down at Deoxys. He swings his massive jaw around, takes aim, and launches the largest and most disgusting ball of vomit ever. It hits Deoxys square in the face. Blinded, it appears to lose its concentration and gets submerged into the magma.

"Keep firing!" I shout. Our Pokémon push toward the cliff's edge and continues firing at the spot Deoxys went under. The magma splashes at Deoxys fights to resurface, its melting arms thrashing about. It flails wildly, and whenever it tries to move out from under the combined attack, our Pokémon readjust their aim, keeping Deoxys submerged. Deoxys pops up from below, half melted and charred all over, but our Pokémon continue to fire, pushing Deoxys back into the fiery lava. Its arms burn away and the lava starts eating through its body. It finally slips completely under and it stops flailing about. Our Pokémon keep up the attack, looking weary, but not giving up. They give their all and seeing them work together, fighting for their lives, our lives, the entire world, moves me to no end. Deoxys' struggle wanes and finally, the lava stops moving. I can no longer see Deoxys, and it seems to finally be over. Our Pokémon end their attacks, panting heavily, some dropping to the ground from exhaustion, and at last, silence falls across the volcano.

We watch the volcano closely, standing there for several minutes, just watching, listening, waiting. All I hear is the sound of magma bubbling. All is quiet, and I finally allow myself to breathe. I look at Darius, then at Jess. They both shake their heads. It is over.

Jaws limps to me, giving me a big grin. I pick him up and put him on my shoulders. Dunsparce flops up to me and smiles. I kneel down and rub her head. "You did fantastic," I say. "I'm so proud of you all."

Darius and Jess tend to their Pokémon. Poor Prinplup and Lapras look exhausted. Darius feeds them some berries, then pulls them into their balls. Absol looks all right, standing before Darius, looking proud. Articuno looks weary, but well, while Manectric sits down and starts grooming herself. Everyone seems to be okay.

"Well, that plan certainly worked," Darius says. "Why didn't we do that before?"

"I think you guys are just used to playing by the League rules," I say. "When it comes to life or death situations, sometimes you gotta break the rules to survive."

"We obliterated that thing!" Jess boasts. "Yeah, did you see it thrash about as it melted? It was all 'oh my God I'm melting, stooooooop! It burns!' HA!"

"Call Steven," I say. "Let him know it's over."

"With pleasure!" Jess says. She looks at her Pokégear and starts punching in Steven's number when suddenly, Articuno lets out a bloodcurdling screech. I look and see Articuno fall to the ground, her chest charred to a crisp. I look at Jess, who does not move, stunned.

"Jess, quick! Her ball!" I shout. When she does not move, I charge her, grab Articuno's ball, and pull her in myself.

Darius looks at us. "What the hell happened?!" Darius shouts.

I look at Darius and rising into the air behind him, I see a blue crystalline orb floating in the air. It glistens in the sunlight, then starts to glow. My eyes go wide with fear. "Darius! Get down!"

"Huh?" Darius looks behind him, sees the orb, and dives out of the way at the last second. A powerful beam flies right by him. Darius shouts in pain and hits the ground, grabbing his arm. He rolls, then sits up. The beam seems to have clipped his arm. Blood seeps from under his hand, soaking his sleeve.

The orb suddenly starts to morph. Slowly, red and green flesh begins to envelop the orb. I rush over to Darius. He moves his hand and I inspect the injury. It is a clean slice through his tricep muscle. Bad, but not crippling. He is lucky.

Darius tears his shirt and starts to wrap it up. I help him up and we face the awful truth; this thing is indestructible! As it begins regenerating its body, I try to formulate another plan, but I come up empty. Darius does not waste any time, though. He commands Absol into action.

"Absol, use Dark Pulse!" he shouts. Absole leaps toward the orb and fires the same dark pulsating beam he did before. The sick fleshy orb retaliates with its own beam, firing it through Absol's attack. Absol ducks just in time, the beam passing through the space where his head once was. I look back at Dunsparce and Jaws. Dunsparce is already launching stones at Dexoys, while Jaws is stockpiling food in his jaw. Jess joins in, commanding Manectric to fire bolts of lightning. Deoxys' chest finishes regenerating and its arms and legs start to push their way out. It dodges each attack effortlessly, zipping through the air with ease. A stone from Dunsparce manages to connect, hitting it in the orb. Deoxys fires a beam in return. Dunsparce quickly burrows into the ground, but the beam hits the ground where she burrowed, and I hear her squeal in pain. She pops out of the ground, flops for a few seconds, then stops moving.

"No!" I shout as I pull her back into her ball.

"This is unreal…" Jess says. "How can we stop this thing? How can ANYONE?"

For once, I feel the same. For the first time, I feel myself giving in to hopelessness. After all we have been through, after all the damage we inflicted on this thing, none of it has seemed to make a difference. I stare at the horrible creature as it continues to regenerate, without a single idea on what to do. I cannot give up, but at the same time, what can we possibly do?

Deoxys sprouts a full arm. Half its face has regenerated, and it looks at us with a single cold eye. I feel its piercing gaze stab the back of my soul. It feels… like death.

Jaws limps toward Deoxys, his jaw full of food. He flips his jaw over and takes aim. I notice Deoxys' eye shift toward Jaws, and it lashes out with its sharp tentacle arms. The piercing daggers fly toward Jaws, and I realize that with his limp, there is no way Jaws can move out of the way in time. It is going to get him, it is going to kill him, and I cannot allow that to happen. Without thinking, I run to Jaws. I sprint the fastest I have ever sprinted, and just before Deoxys gets him, I kneel down and wrap my arms around Jaws, shielding him. I feel two sharp pains as the tentacles pierce my body, one through the hip and one through shoulder. I let out a silent cry as I watch the tentacles burst through my chest and waist. I look down and noticed they stopped just short of Jaws' head and chest. Jaws would have been no more. One through the brain, one through the heart. Precise and deadly, just like the others.

Jaws looks up at me, eyes wide with shock. I look back, my eyes filled with tears of pain. I slowly reach up and touch one of the blood-covered spikes. Cold… just like its gaze. The tentacles then begin to retract, slowly pulling out of me. I scream, the pain unbearable. Deoxys pulls its tentacles out and I slowly fall onto Jaws. I hear a small clunk and see the meteorite that Steven gave me bounce to the ground. Jaws grabs me and gently rolls me onto my back. I reach out and grab the meteorite. Heh, useless rock…

"Oh my God, no!" Darius runs toward me, but Deoxys fires a large beam at him. He dives out of the way as the beam cuts through the ground, creating a large fissure. Boiling lava rises in the fissure, cutting off Darius and Jess from me. I look up at Deoxys. It has finished regenerating, its entire body looking brand new. It hovers over to me. Jaws tries to defend me, firing his large sticky wad of vomit. Deoxys dodges it and smacks Jaws aside. Jaws rolls across the ground, but picks himself back up. Deoxys stares at me with its cold dead eyes, and I realize it is all over. There is nowhere for me to go. I lay there, blood pouring from my wounds. Darius and Jess command their Pokémon to attack, but it is futile. Deoxys throws up a barrier, blocking all attacks. At it comes for me, my life flashes before my eyes. I see Mother, smiling happily as she chatters away into a radio microphone next to Professor Oak. I see Liz standing at the pier, the wind blowing through her luxurious copper hair as she waits for me. I see my father training hard with his Machamp, Brawny's father, preparing to defend Johto with their lives. I recall meeting Darius for the first time, how he stood up to a Pokémon bully. I remember Jess and how she was always willing to put herself on the line for good, despite how it made others see her. I see Cole, digging in the Ruins of Alph. Joshua and his father Michael, toiling away in their berry farm. Jeff, the Pokémon ranger at the Hoenn Safari Zone. Lance, Morty, Steven, all telling me Jaws was already home with me, my Mawile, who stood by me through thick and thin to this very moment. Even now, on the brink of death, he refuses to leave my side, and I will be eternally grateful for the adventure he has given me.

Deoxys lashes out, striking at me with its tentacles. In a vain attempt to defend myself, I close my eyes and raise my hands to the incoming attack, meteorite still in my grip. The tentacles strike the rock, then suddenly stop. When I realize I am not dead yet, I open my eyes and see Deoxys before me, in its large bulky form, looking at itself confused. I look at the rock. No damage has been done to it. Deoxys shakes itself and turns back into its normal form. It reaches out and grabs me by the throat. It picks me up off the ground, strangling the life out of me. I reach up and strike its arm with the meteorite. It suddenly drops me and changes into its bulky form again! The meteorite… this useless rock Steven gave to me as a gift… is it causing Deoxys to change involuntarily? These rocks were from the same asteroid Deoxys was found on. Perhaps they have some sort of property that causes Deoxys to change against its will, perhaps a way to control it?

"Darius…" I call out. "The meteorites… they change it. Use them."

Darius pulls out his meteorite, as well as Jess. They look at them, then at Deoxys. "It's worth a shot, but how to we get to it?"

Jaws looks at me, tears in his eyes. I reach up and gently touch his cheek. "It's okay," I say. Jaws sobs, but as the tears fall, he suddenly begins to change. He grows a little larger. His jaw splits into two larger jaws. He looks stronger, and his injured leg seems to have healed. I look in awe as his transformation completes. He changed again, just like before.

"What the…?" I hear Darius shout. I look over and his Absol begins to change too. His fur grows longer and from his back sprout large wings.

"Whoa whoa whoa! What's going on here?!" Jess shouts. Manectric also begins to change, her golden fur spiking upward, looking electrified and powerful. She roars, sending bolts of lightning outward from her back.

I sit up. Up in the sky, I see a faint cloud of darkness. It almost looks like a swarm of bug Pokémon. I wipe my eyes and notice a familiar shape amongst the swarm, looking down at me. It is Unown, my question mark, the one that followed me around all throughout Johto. I hear a faint jingle and chime come from it, and it rejoins the swarm. Then the swarm fades, as if it was never there.

Our Pokémon brim with new power. They stand before Deoxys, ready to fight. Darius stands by his newly powered Absol, meteorite in hand. Absol motions Darius to climb on, and he does. Absol flaps his wings and leaps over the magma-filled fissure, joining Jaws into battle. Jess climbs on Manectric and they follow Darius across. Darius and Jess leap off their Pokémon and rush to my side. The three Pokémon stand before Deoxys, protecting us. Darius kneels beside me.

"Oh man…" he says.

"Don't… worry about me," I say. "Focus on… Deoxys. Stop it."

Darius frowns, then nods. He reluctantly steps away and faces Deoxys. Jess clenches her fist around her meteorite. "So how do we use these?" she asks.

I groan as I adjust myself, clutching my chest wound. I keep the pressure on, trying to stop the bleeding. Blood seeps through my fingers. "It touched the… rock… and changed," I gasp. "Maybe we can… confuse it."

Darius takes on an offensive stance. "We'll make it work!" he says. "I'm not sure what will happen, but it's all we got left. Absol, use Night Slash!"

"Manectric!" Jess shouts. "Blast it to pieces with Thunderbolt!"

"Jaws…" I say. "Use Crunch… you can do it…"

Our three Pokémon launch their offensive. Deoxys switches to its sleek speedy form and zips around. Manectric adjusts its aim and strikes Deoxys in the chest. Deoxys falls and hits the ground, rolling, and hopping back to its feet. Absol leaps at it, claws out. Deoxys takes on its bulky form, using its arms to defend itself. Absol leaps back, then strikes again. Deoxys changes again, this time to its sharp spiky form. It tries to stab Absol, but Jaws strikes from the side, catching it off guard. He clamps down on its legs and swings it around. Deoxys catches itself, drilling its tentacles into the ground. It rips a chunk of rock out of the ground and hurls it at Jaws. Jaws smashes through it and charges Deoxys. Deoxys charges toward Jaws, but Manectric blasts it again with another bolt of lightning, striking it in the back. Deoxys slams into the ground, then rolls onto its back and changes into its bulky form. Absol runs in and stabs at Deoxys with his horn. Deoxys raises an arm to defend itself, and Absol skewers Deoxys' arm. Absol then pulls back, pulling Deoxys' arm straight out. Manectric dashes to Deoxys and before Deoxys can swing its other arm at Absol, Manectric bites down on it, pulling it out. Deoxys struggles against the two Pokémon as Jaws runs up and bites down on both its legs with his two jaws. He pulls out his meteorite, the one Steven gave him, and touches Deoxys' leg with it. It instantly changes to its normal form. It continues to flail about, looking angry and failing to free itself. Darius and Jess run up to it, meteorites in hand. Darius touches it with the rock and it changes into its speedy form. Jess puts the meteorite against Deoxys' arm and it changes to its deadly form. They keep the rocks up against the alien's body, which causes it to rapidly change between the forms. Its body warps and morphs, being incapable of retaining any single shape, looking ready to blow apart at any moment.

"Crono!" Darius shouts. "Toss me your rock! Let's finish this!"

I groan, pushing myself to my feet. "No…" I say. "I'm in this too…" Slowly, I shamble toward the struggling creature. It flails about, our Pokémon struggling to hold it down. Darius and Jess hold their stones against it. Step by step, I make my way closer to them. I hold my chest wound tightly with one hand, and I clutch the rock firmly in my other. Blood drips to the ground and I feel my head getting fuzzy. I shake my head and focus. I move to Deoxys' head. It continues to flail angrily. I fall to my knees and look the creature in the eyes. I hold the meteorite firmly in both hands and raise it over my head. The creature glares into my eyes as I bring the rock down. I slam it into the crystalline orb in its chest. The orb cracks, then shatters. Deoxys' body bubbles and ripples, its body changing uncontrollably. A light expands in its chest and our Pokémon let go. Darius and Jess grab me and pull me away as Deoxys' body expands with the light. We dive to the ground as Deoxys' body explodes, raining bloody body chunks everywhere. I roll over onto my back and attempt to sit myself up against a rock, but the pain in my chest and waist suddenly hits me again as the adrenaline wears off. Darius gets up, notices my struggle, and helps me lean against the rock. I look around at the pieces of Deoxys scattered everywhere. None of it moves, indicating that it might finally be, once and for all, dead.

I groan, returning my hand of my chest. Jaws approaches me, my mighty Pokémon and loyal friend, looking at me with worry. He slowly changes back, shrinking back to normal size, his jaws fusing back into one. He looks at me with sorrow. I hold out my free hand and he takes it. I cough, spitting blood out of my mouth. The end is nigh, but strangely, I feel at peace with it. I look at Jaws.

"Thanks… buddy…" I say. "Thank you… for the adventure…"

My body slowly begins to seize up. Darius starts calling out to me, panicking, but my hearing fades. All I see is his mouth moving, no words coming out. As my vision slowly blurs, I think about the adventure this wonderful Pokémon gave me. He gave me the opportunity to see the world in all its glory. I saw some amazing things, met some fantastic people, and experienced more than I could ever imagine. It may have been short, but it was a good life. My only regret is breaking my promise to Liz, that I would return home safely. Given today's events, I am sure she will forgive me. I look to the sky. The last thing I see is a flock of flying Pokémon, each with their own trainer, coming in for a landing, with Steven leading on a blue and white Pokémon. It is a new Pokémon I have never seen before, almost like an angel, and it is beautiful.


	18. Epilogue

"Crono…"

"Crono!"

"Good morning, Crono."

A lovely voice wakes me from my slumber. I peel my eyelids apart slowly, blinking away the sleep. I am greeted with a heavenly sight; a beautiful angel draped in golden sunlight, topped with a brilliant copper halo. She smiles down upon me.

"Wake up, sweetheart. You're going to be late for work."

My vision clears. A lovely woman with sapphire eyes smiles at me; my gorgeous wife, Liz. She walks over to the curtains and pulls them apart, flooding the room with morning light. I squint in the light and sit up. Liz looks at me and smiles.

"I have breakfast ready for you," she says. "Better hurry up before Jaws eats it again." She turns and heads out the bedroom door.

I yawn and stretch. I remove the covers off me and plant my feet onto the floor. I reach over and take my cane, made of Johto rosewood and topped with a meteorite with a red stain, coated in a preserve and shined to a gloss. I carefully stand, leaning on my cane for support, and walk over to the dresser. I look in the mirror. The man I see before me impresses me; he has aged well, with a well-groomed beard, and eyes that has seen so much in the world. I glance at the framed photograph on my dresser; a picture of Darius, Jess, Jaws, and myself. It was taken about a year after that dreaded day, ten years ago. I instinctively touch the scar on my chest. The pain has long faded, but the memory still lives vividly in my mind.

I do not remember much after that day. Darius did his best to fill me in on the details. I was in a coma for a month. When Steven arrived, I had lost so much blood, they did not think I would make it. Steven, however, had been working on new technology that incorporated Pokéball technology for the purpose of saving those in medical emergency situations, curtesy of Devon Corp. He had a prototype with him and used me as a field test. As Steven explained, it detects a person's life force to determine if the person is near death, then captures them and puts them in stasis until they can be taken to a hospital. Fortunately for me, the prototype worked and I was taken to a hospital. I needed a blood transfusion, but due to my rare blood type of AB-, the rarest in the world, the surgery on my hip had to wait. Surprisingly, Jess also had AB- and volunteered to give me her blood. They were able to operate on my hip. They said I would walk again, but would require aid. Then they waited for me to come out of the coma.

All this Darius had filled me in. He said it was the most scared he had ever felt. He came to visit nearly every day to check on me. It feels good knowing I have such a great friend. Of course, I do not remember any of this. What I do remember, however, is the first face I saw when I woke up was my beautiful wife, Liz. She had stayed by my side for my entire hospitalization, even taking leave from work to tend to me. And then, of course, the first Pokémon face I saw was none other than Jaws. He too stayed by my side, eagerly awaiting my recovery. Liz also took care of him. I smile as I open a drawer and throw on a collar shirt. She is the most wonderful woman a man like me could ever hope for and I am eternally grateful.

I head downstairs to find Liz cooking some food at the stove. Jaws sits at the table, a guilty grin of his face. I look at him, shake my head, and smiled. He did it again; he ate my breakfast. Liz looks at me. "I told you to hurry," she says with a smile.

I sit at the table next to Jaws. "Yes, you did," I say. Liz brings me another plate of food, which Jaws eyeballs. I shove him away. "You, sir, have had enough." As I eat, Jaws and I play. We never did find his original owner, and quite frankly, I do not think he cares. As many people have told me before, he seems quite at home with me, and I am glad I did not have to give him up. He has been a loyal friend ever since that fateful day on the Goldenrod Pier. He stuck by me, through thick and thin, life and death, and has never given up in times I myself may have, had he not been there. He was, and still is, the best friend I have ever had.

I finish eating and gather my satchel. I whistle for Jaws to follow. I kiss Liz. "Have a great day," I say.

"You too, dear," she says. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Even after nine years of marriage, it still makes my heart flutter to say those words to her.

Jaws and I climb into the Jeep parked in the driveway. We drive down the hill and through the woods to the port. Today, the ship comes in with a load I have been expecting for some time. I am pretty excited and look forward to receiving it. It takes us about twenty minutes to get to the port. Jaws and I get out of the Jeep and walk up to the receiving dock. Kyle greets me, ready for me to sign the papers. I take the clipboard, sign the document, and hand it back to Kyle. "How's the family, Kyle?" I ask.

"Doing well!" he says. "Timothy just lost his first tooth!"

"That's fantastic!" I say.

Kyle turns and motions for the movers to unload the crate. They carefully lower the crate onto the trailer, then jump down and secure it with straps. "All right, she's ready to go!" Kyle says.

"Thank you," I say. "I've been waiting a while for this one. Just move the trailer to the shipping yard. I'll come get it in a few minutes. There's something else I need to get."

We say our good-byes and Jaws and I head to the dockhouse. Inside, we are greeted with two very familiar faces, faces that always brings me a smile.

"What took you so long?" Jess growls.

I grin. "Just wanted to make you wait," I antagonize.

Jess frowns. Darius pats her on the back, then walks up to me. He opens his arms and we embrace. "How was the boat ride?" I ask. "Comfortable, I hope."

"Always is," he says. "Where's Liz?"

"She's at home," I say. "She said she wanted to give you guys an extra special welcome, considering it is your five-year anniversary."

Darius smirks. "Oh, is it our anniversary?" he jokes.

"Don't tell me you forgot again?!" Jess growls. She smacks him in the back of the head.

"Owww!" Darius groans. "I was joking!"

I laugh. I always miss these two whenever they go back home. Their constant banter is always entertaining. I approach Jess, who just looks at me awkward. I swear, every time. She grabs her arm and rubs it. "What do you want?" she asks bashfully.

I smile. "Thank you," I say. I say it to her every time I see her.

Jess frowns and looks away. "Don't mention it," she says. "And I mean it this time."

I lead them to my Jeep. The four of us climb in and buckle up. Darius and Jess have to sit in the back because Jaws takes the front seat every time. They do not mind, though. Honestly, I noticed that, despite how much they bicker at times, they can never be apart for very long. It was that fated day when they made it official. After I recovered, the two of them set off to become Champion. They had broken up twice since then, neither time lasting more than a day. The first time, they argued over which League to challenge. Jess wanted the Hoenn League, to dethrone Steven for "taking his sweet time getting to us." Darius wanted the Unova League, because he felt more at home there. They fought about it so much that they "broke up", and my "broke up", I mean slept in different rooms for a night. They then made up and chose a common League to challenge; the Indigo League. They chose it because Jess' family is in Johto, and Darius said some of his best memories were in Johto/Kanto region. When they got to the Elite Four, they then argued who got to BE champion. Again, they slept in different rooms that night, before deciding to take them on together. They went on to dethrone Lance as the world's first Dual Champion. They then opened a school in Violet City, a prestigious school that competed with the existing school in Pokémon academics. Since then, they have been named the one of the top three Pokémon academies in the world, trailing behind the one in Alola. Between maintaining their ever-growing school and constantly defending their Champion title, they are quite busy, and honestly, I do not think they would have it any other way.

I pull into the shipping yard, back up to the trailer with my cargo, and hitch it to the Jeep. I then climb back into the driver seat and we take off back to the house. After the twenty-minute drive through the woods, I pull up next to the house. I honk and minute later, Liz walks out, followed by a lovely shiny black star-shaped Pokémon; our Minior. Every time I see it, I am reminded of our wonderful honeymoon in Alola. We hiked up the trail of Mount Hokulani and had ourselves a nice picnic on a cliff overlooking Malie City. We sat there for hours, just enjoying each other's company. When the sun went down, we laid on the blanket, side by side, holding each other's hand, watching the stars come out. Then we saw a shooting star fly down near us! Because it was so close, we had to check it out, and when we got there, we found our little Minior, shiny and black, smiling at us. We just had to keep it. We named it "Yuseong", which literally means "shooting star". It has been a symbol of our love ever since.

"Are you ready?" I ask.

Liz nods. "Sure am," she says. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

She closes the door and walks to the Jeep, Yuseong in tow. She opens the passenger door and I look at Jaws. He sighs, unbuckles himself, and leaps into Darius' lap. Darius groans in pain and holds his crotch. "Oooooh… every… damn… time…" he groans.

Jess laughs. "HA! You'd think you'd learn by now, Kalos Boy!" Jaws just grins.

Liz buckles up, then wraps her arms around Yuseong. We take off down the road and drive over the hills. The island seems quite peaceful today. As we drive, I look around, doing a casual inspection of everything. I see the Tauros herd running through the plains, running alongside the herd of Bouffalant I acquired from Unova. Down by the river, the Duckletts and Psyducks mingle with each other, splashing in the water. In the nearby trees, the Beedrill gather around a Vespiquen, providing protection for her and her Combee. A flock of Spearow soar above us, and a bunch of Wingull dive into the waters at the shore in the distance. Everything is peaceful out here, and I am impressed by how well the species are getting along. I feel like the island is almost complete, and knowing that fills my heart with joy.

Once I recovered, I set out to achieve my dream. It took a lot of hard work, but now that dream is being realized. Despite the doctors telling me I would need to take it easy, I instead sought out to make my dream a reality. I studied botany and zoology, learned how to work the soil, and finally, acquired the tools necessary to make barren wastelands habitable again. I set sail for Whirl Islands and toiled away as making the barren soil fertile. It took a lot of work, but finally, plants began to grow. Soon, plant life flourished across the islands. I then worked to join the islands, making them one again. That took a little creativity, but it worked, and now the Whirl Islands are now, once again, Awaji Island. Liz helped a lot, worried that I would burn myself out, cause old injuries to resurface, and work myself into the ground. She refused to let me do it alone, and together, Awaji Island was reborn. We now live here, importing Pokémon from around the world. It has been a slow process, but the dream has been realized; Awaji is once again the national treasure of Johto. I still have yet to get any Pokémon here from Alola, with the exception of Yuseong, due to their strict export laws. It was a pain just getting Yuseong here, but the effort was well worth it. One day, however, perhaps I can bring a few species from there to Awaji, and I dream that Awaji can go from being a national treasure to a wonder of the world.

We arrive atop a hill overlooking the great plains. I hear the roar of a Kangaskhan. I get out of the Jeep, leaning on my cane, and look around. Everyone else gets out of the Jeep and watch me. I carefully walk up to the Kangaskhan, and notice her baby is missing. I cautiously approach the Kangaskhan, who shifts around, agitated. I gently place a hand upon the Kangaskhan's shoulder. She flinches, but gradually relaxes. "It's okay," I say soothingly. "I'm sure he'll find her."

Kangaskhan looks at me and moans. I nod and look around. Sure enough, I see a familiar figure in the distance, climbing the hill. I smile and look back at Kangaskhan. "See?" I say. "Here he comes."

Sure enough, with child in hand, Brawny climbs the hill. He sees me, his scarred face looking positively thrilled to see me, and charges up the rest of the way. He turns to Kangaskhan and extends a meaty hand. The baby Kangaskhan sits happily in his palm. Kangaskhan roars happily and takes the baby, placing her back into her pouch. She then stomps off. Brawny turns to me and grins. "Machamp!" he says happily.

"Good job, Brawny," I say. "Thank you for taking good care of her."

"Champ!" he says.

"I have a surprise for you," I say. I hobble over to the crate, enter the combination on the keypad, and the crate falls open, all walls and the top opening up. Inside lies a sleeping female Machoke. Brawny looks eagerly. His eyes go wide and his smile disappears. He looks at me, and I nod. "Don't worry," I say. "She's been tranquillized to make the journey easier for her. She will awaken soon."

Brawny slowly makes his way to the female Machoke. Everyone watches eagerly, waiting to see what he does. He cautiously reaches out and touches her. Then, so tenderly, he scoops her up in his arms. When he does, she begins to stir. She opens her eyes and looks at Brawny. Brawny looks down at her, a tear rolling down his scarred cheek. The Machoke gets startled and leaps from Brawny's arms. "CHOKE?!" she shouts.

"Champ…" Brawny says. "Ma-ma-Champ."

"Awww, look at that," Darius says. "You got Brawny a girlfriend!"

"Not exactly," I say.

The Machoke stares in disbelief at Brawny. Slowly, she reaches out and touches Brawny's scarred cheek. Then, she pulls him in for a hug. They embrace, and the moment moves me. I feel a tear roll over my beard.

"What just happened?" Darius asks.

I look over at Liz, who has tears welling up in her eyes as well. I look at Darius and Jess, who just look confused. I explain. "That Machoke… believe it or not… is Brawny's mother."

"Wait, what?!" they both say in disbelief.

I nod. "It wasn't easy to find her," I say, "but with a little help from a special friend, I managed to locate her. She's old, for a Machoke, and doesn't have much longer to live, but I thought it would be best if she could see her son before passing on. She'll live her remaining years here, in comfort, with her son."

Darius folds his arms and shakes his head. "You are unbelievable," he says.

Liz comes up to me and wraps her arm around my waist. Yuseong and Jaws gather with us to watch Brawny and his mother talk. Watching them interact brings makes me happy beyond words. I feel my mission in life is coming along just nicely. Behind us, I hear a familiar rustling noise. I look back at Darius, and chuckle. Darius furrows his brow.

"What's so funny?" he asks.

I point behind him. He turns around. "EXEGGUTOR!"

"GAH CRAP!" Darius shouts, leaping back and falling on his butt. Exeggutor towers over him and shakes his leaves. We all laugh, even Jess.

"I think he missed you," I say.

"Why…" Darius mumbles as he gets back to his feet. "Speaking of which, where are your other Pokémon? Dunsparce and Skarmory?"

I look out at the field. "They are here, on this island," I say. "I moved a swarm of Dunsparce here for her to be with. Same with Skarmory. He flies around the island with a couple others." I take a deep breath of that fresh ocean air. "I see them from time to time. They seem happy."

"Man, you have yourself such an amazing paradise here," Darius says. "When you finally have kids, they're going to go nuts!"

Liz and I look at each other, sadness in our eyes. We look at Darius. "Actually, we can't have kids," I say.

"What?" Darius exclaims. "Why not?!"

"We learned that I am barren," Liz explains.

"What? Lizzie?!" Jess says. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Liz smiles. "Because I knew you would worry yourself silly," she says. "It's okay, though. This island, the Pokémon here, they're like our children. There are many lives here that need us to care for them, and we're always adding more. We'll be okay, I promise."

Jess looks at the ground. "Well, shoot, now I feel bad," Jess says somberly.

"Why?" Liz asks.

"Well, um…" Jess starts.

Darius places a hand on Jess' shoulder. "It's okay," Darius says. "If I know my buddy, and I do, they won't be upset. They'll be happy for us."

Jess looks at me, then at Liz. "…I'm pregnant," she says.

Liz's eyes go eyes. "Really?" she asks.

Jess nods. "I found out a week ago," she says. "You're going to be an aunt."

Tears well into Liz's eyes. Jess walks up to her, takes her in her arms, and they embrace. Liz wipes her eyes. "I'm okay, I promise," she says. "I'm just so happy for you."

"So, Darius," I say. "You're gonna be a father. How does it feel?"

"Pretty surreal," he says. "Also, pretty exciting. I'll have my own little Pokémon trainer to train!"

"Unreal," I say, shaking my head.

"What do you say we head back and eat lunch?" Liz suggests. "I have a very special meal to prepare for you all."

"You all go ahead," I say. "I'll meet you back at the house. There's something I have to do first."

Darius nods. "All right," He says. "But hurry up, or I'll eat your share!"

"Haha, that's not something I'm not used to," I say, looking at Jaws. Liz giggles as well.

They head back to the Jeep, Liz getting in the driver seat. Darius mentions that he will help Liz with the meal preparations and Jess says she will help clean up afterward. They drive off, leaving Jaws and myself on the hill. I turn to Brawny.

"Take good care of her," I say. "Make her comfortable out here. Maybe show her around the island?"

Brawny does not say anything. Instead, he just walks up to me. He looks at me for a minute, smiling big. I look at him back, smiling as well. The big oaf has been through so much and it shows. The scars on his back and face, to me, are signs of just how much he loves me, willing to put himself through so much pain just to keep me safe. Finding his mother was the least I could do to repay him. Finally, after a full minute, he pulls me to him, wrapping all four arms around me. He squeezes me in a spine-cracking hug he is famous for. I grunt against the pain, but I return his embrace. It only hurts a little, but I would not have it any other way. I love Brawny, and I know he loves me.

He puts me down. "Machamp!" he says. I nod, and he turns to his mother. Together, they walk down the hill, hand in hand.

I feel a towering presence over me. I turn around to see Exeggutor standing over me. I smile and gently touch his trunk. "How are you doing out here?" I ask.

He shakes his leaves and lets out a weird cackling sound. "Egg!" he says.

I smile. "I know I don't have many other Exeggutor out here," I say. "I'm working on it. If you like, there is an island in Alola called Exeggutor Island. I can try sending you there. I hear they are insanely tall there!"

Exeggutor shakes his heads. "Exeggutor!" he says.

I laugh. "Of course you would," I say. "Well, I promise to get some more Exeggutor out here. Leaf Stones are surprisingly difficult to come back."

Exeggutor turns around and starts trotting down the hill, teetering back and forth, like it is a dance. I chuckle, then look at Jaws. "Are you ready, buddy?" I ask. He nods and he head down the hill toward the shore.

It takes me a little while to get there. With the cane, the trek is a little difficult. I thought about making a designated path, but when I decide to allow visitors to Awaji, I do not want them finding the cave. I have decided the extra effort is worth keeping it hidden. Once we reach the shore, we follow it south until we reach the cave. We enter, the cave being dark and damp as ever. I check my Pokégear. It will not be high tide for a few hours, so I have time. Jaws and I proceed deeper into the cave. I pull out a flashlight and shine it forward. The cave is just as I remember it, all those years ago. Since developing the island, this was the one thing I promised to leave alone, with just one tiny change. When we get to the Tentacruel pool, I carefully cross the bridge I built. Jaws takes the lead, as he is quite adept at fending them off. As promised, I made sure the bridge was simple and minimal, without altering the cave. It works great, nice and sturdy, made of Hoenn ironwood, the strongest wood in the world. I coated it in a water repellant and a preserve to keep it from rotting from the frequent rising of the tides. Jaws fends the Tentacool and their alpha Tentacruel, keeping them at bay as we cross. Once we reach the end, we slide down, reaching the large cave with the waterfall.

Every time I come here, I am reminded of the events all those years ago. I learned so much here. It was such an emotional time; anger, sorrow, fear, and ease. So much pain was put as ease back then, all thanks to a very special someone, and that someone is…

"Lugia," I say.

The waterfall parts and the majestic Pokémon emerges. The white and blue creature towers over me, looking down from atop its long white neck. The black spines on its back glisten from the moisture of the cave. It lands on the ground and folds its long arm-like wings along its body.

*Ah, Crono,* Lugia says within my mind. *Welcome back.*

I smile up at Lugia. "Just checking in, as usual," I say. "How is everything?"

Lugia smiles back. *All is well down here,* it says.

I nod. "That is good to hear," I say. "My friends have arrived on Awaji. I'm sure you remember Darius."

Lugia nods. *I remember everything, you know this,* it says.

"Of course," I say. I then lean on my cane, and carefully get down on my knees. Jaws assists me, holding my back to ensure I do not fall. I am grateful to have a good friend like him.

Lugia is shocked by the gesture. *What is the meaning of this?* it asks.

I look down at the floor. "Lugia…" I start. "I… I really want to thank you. Without your help, none of this would have been possible. This island… it is a dream come true."

Lugia looks down at me, then lowers its head in a bow. *No, Crono,* it says. *It is I who should thank you. Before meeting you, I was so full of rage, so full of anger. When I met you, I realized my anger was misplaced. Because of you, I was able to find a new purpose in life, and become the Guardian of Johto once again. This island, this renewed Pokémon Paradise, is my way of thanking you.*

I look up at Lugia and it smiles at me. *I have been truly blessed,* it continues. *Because of you, my anger was quelled, and Mew bestowed upon me a gift.* Lugia steps aside and looks back at the waterfall. Behind it, I see a smaller Lugia. It looks like a baby, sleeping peacefully in a little bed fashioned from rocks and dirt. My mouth falls open from surprise. I pull myself up, using my cane for support, and start walking toward the sleeping baby. Jaws follows alongside me, looking in awe at the little baby. I look down at it, and tears begin to well into my eyes. The baby, it is so beautiful.

Lugia looks at me. *What is wrong?* it asks.

I wipe my eyes. "Nothing," I say. "Everything is perfect."

Lugia looks at me. I feel a slight burn in my mind, and I know it is reading my thoughts. It bows to me with sympathy. *I am sorry you are unable to have children,* it says.

I turn to Lugia. "It is fine," I say. "Every living creature on this island are my children. Just as a father would do anything for their kids, I too would do anything for these Pokémon." I smile. "Again, thank you for helping rebuild the island. I am eternally grateful."

*As am I,* Lugia says.

I look back at the sleeping baby. "I need to return home," I say. "Our friends are waiting for us." I look back at Lugia. "You take care of yourself, and your child. I'll visit again."

Lugia bows. *I, the Guardian of Johto, will always look out for you,* it says.

With that, Jaws and I walk up the dry path behind the waterfall, returning to the surface. Jaws and I take the long walk back to the house. Along the way, the sun shines brightly above us, while Pokémon play in the trees and fields. All around us, life flourishes, and it is beautiful. The blue sky expands all around, the sapphire ocean surrounds the island, full of life, and it is beautiful. When we arrive back at the house, Liz and Darius had just finished cooking lunch. The house is warm, filled with the fragrance of delicious food, and full of love. We all sit at the table; Darius, Jess, Liz, Jaws, Yuseong, and myself. As we eat and chatter, I find myself thankful for the wonderful life I lead. Despite all the hardships, there is nothing I would change. I love my life, all the good and bad… and it is beautiful.


End file.
